No Turning Back
by Heather Kaylie
Summary: "Some secrets aren't meant to be told" This is a line she knows well. Who is she? She won't tell. Her age, where she's from and even her name are kept under wraps. What could she be hiding? *BASED ON THE FIRST FABLE GAME* OCxChicken Chaser
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's note: __Hey Guys :) I'd like to thank you for taking the time out of your BUSY day to read my story. This is my first time posting something online, however I'm not asking you to go easy on me. Quite the opposite actually, I want to know what is wrong with this chapter so I'll know how I should fix it. I'm a big girl, I can handle it :) so thanks again and enjoy the story :D_**

_I was running as fast as I could. The tall trees rushing past me as the soft forest floor cushioning my every step. I knew it was hopeless to run, that eventually _**it **_would catch up to me, but I had to try. The whole village depended on me. That's when I heard my pursuer. Each muted step was twice as fast as mine, and I knew I was as good as dead. But through the trees I saw a ray of hope. A giant wooden gate, big and imposing, was the safety I was looking for. I pushed myself to run faster. The gate grew closer and closer, and I found myself believing I was going to make it. Then I was knocked to the ground. I glanced over my shoulder, stared into the most hideous face I have ever seen and screamed at the top of my lungs..._

I woke up gasping for air, my chest heaving as I looked blindly around the room. Only the sound of 6 other sleeping bodies calmed me down. As far as I knew, I was safe.

I sighed and flopped down onto my bed. As my breathing slowed I was able to start thinking clearly.

"It was only a dream, it was only a dream," I kept repeating to myself, but I still couldn't stop shaking. No matter how much I tried, and believe me I've tried, I couldn't seem to fool myself. I knew it wasn't **_just _**a dream...

"Oh for the love of Avo," I said while getting up. I was hoping a walk would get the adrenaline out of my system. As I walked through one of the arches, I had to stop and take in this strange place- I mean my new home.

It was almost more beautiful at night, the moon casting an eerie but romantic glow on the stone buildings and the trees. I glanced to the main building and found myself shaking me head. I still couldn't believe that i was staying at the Guild of Heroes. Yes, **_the _**Guild of Heroes. However, my being there had nothing to do with heroism. Starting the next day I would be one of the farthest things from a hero. Had it only been one day since I arrived? My mind told me it was, but my heart said it had been much longer.

I sighed and looked over a small stone wall that bordered the river. I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me. Yes, she had the same leather sandals, the same light purple skirt and the same belt that crossed into an X in the front. She had the same dark purple shirt, the same 2 ponytails on either side of her head and the exact necklace my mother had given to me, but her face was not mine.

Her hair was a dulled black color, whereas mine used to be a glossy black. My face had always had a smile, her face was too serious. My eyes were bright and full of life, that's why my dad had called me "bright eyes", her eyes were glazed over and unnerving, as if she had seen Skorm himself.

I found myself reaching for the girl in the river. I wanted to be sure whether she was me, or if she was a different person altogether. I leaned closer to her, and she did the same. We kept reaching until our fingers almost touched. That's when I almost fell into the water.

If it wasn't for the strong arms that wrapped around me and pulled me to safety, I would have fallen face first into the river. However I think he over estimated my weight, because we found ourselves on the cobble stone path.

"What in Avo's name where you doing?" He yelled as he pulled himself off the ground.

I was about to tell him to mind his own business, but the words got stuck in my throat as I looked at him for the first time. He looked to be no older then 13, the same age as me. He wore a white shirt with a brown cloth patch on his left sleeve, his red shorts hit just below his knees, the sandals on his feet were almost too small, and the leather gloves on his hands were too big. His brown hair stuck out in any and all directions, and his eyes! The color of ice itself! But instead of freezing, they were burning. I didn't know why until I remembered that he was yelling at me.

"Nothing you need to know!" I yelled. I watched as his eyes went from a muted heat to an open flame. I tried to pretend that it didn't intimidate me, but I was never good at acting.

"So that's the thanks I get for saving you?"

"I never **_asked _**to be saved!"

"Oh, so you'd rather be in the river right now, probably unconscious, floating to Avo knows where?"

"Right now it's looking perferable."

He threw his hands up in frustration. "Fine! Go ahead and jump into the river if you want, just don't expect me to save you a second time!"

"Fine!"

"**_Fine_**!" He said while walking away. I glared at his back before I tried to stand. A shock of pain caused me to gasp and crumple to the ground.

"Hey," he said while turning back to me. I noticed that his voice was considerably softer. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Obviously," I replied through gritted teeth. It wasn't because I was mad at him, although he was irritating me. It was because if I opened my mouth I knew I would have started to sob, and crying in front of strangers was not on the top of my to-do list.

He smiled at my sarcasm, and if I wasn't in pain I might have thought his smile was nice, but I was in pain so I didn't think about it... much.

"Sorry for asking the obvious," he started. "Where does it hurt?"

I pointed to my ankle. He knelt down and to my complete shock, he started lifting my skirt up! I was about to slap him when he stopped and looked at my ankle, comparing it to my other ankle. It was already red and swollen. He put his hand on my leg and gently squeezed, working his way down to my ankle. When he got to a certain spot a sob of pain escaped my lips and he looked at me with apologetic eyes.

"Sorry. Do you think you can wiggle your toes?"

I did as he asked. When he saw I could do it, he got back up and held out his hand to help me. I hesitated only a second before putting my hand in his. When I was standing, he took my arm and put it around his shoulders, and he slipped his arm around my waist.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked as I tried to pull away from him. This only made his grip tighter.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm taking you to the Guild Master so he can heal your leg." He tried to move my forward, but I stayed in place, shaking my head.

"It's the middle of the night. I don't want to wake him up for something so unimportant."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "If you can't even walk on that foot, how do you expect to keep up with training tomorrow?"

I gave him the same look he gave me. "Training? As in _**hero **_training? No, I'm not here to become a hero."

He frowned in confusion. "Then why are you here?"

I motioned to the arches behind me, also known as the servant's quarters. "I'm a servant here."

He laughed like I just told him the funniest joke in all of Albion, but my cold stare caused him to stop. We just stood there in silence, arms awkwardly around each other until he cleared his throat.

"So...umm...you _**weren't **_joking?"

I groaned in frustration while I pushed him away in disgust. The nerve of him bad mouthing my position! And I didn't even choose this position! I stomped, or rather, **_hopped _**away from him although it also meant going away from the quarters. I had made it all the way to the archery range, before I realized he was following me. I stopped and turned to him.

"What do you want now?" I asked in a cold voice. He flinched slightly at my tone and I smirked to myself.

"A chance to apologize... I know what I said must have sounded bad."

I rolled my eyes. He sure knew how to point out the obvious. He ignored my response and kept going.

"What I meant to say was that I find it hard to believe that you're a servent. I mean, as far as I know, the guild doesn't hire kids our age to be servants here..."

I crossed my arms and leaned on the wall behind me. "I guess I'm an exception."

He frowned at my lack of reponse. "You know, I'm honestly trying to figure you out. Do you think you could help me out a little bit?"

I scoffed. I mean really, who did he think he was? "Good luck with that. I tend to not trust people I don't know."

He threw his hands up again, but this time in mock anger. I knew this because he smiled when he said, "You could have told me that before!"

Instaed of shaking my hand, like most people would do, he stuck a pose that I guess was suppose to be heroic. "I am Chris! Hero in training at the Guild of Heroes!"

He held the pose for a little longer and I just stared at him. When I didn't say anything, he stopped posing and looked at me expectantly. I sighed but didn't give in...that much.

"I'm a servant at the Guild of Heroes,"I started, shrugging my shoulders. "And apparently that's enough for you to judge me, so that's all you need to know."

He shot me a crooked smile that made my stomache flip, even though I told it not to.

"You know," he started. "You not telling me your name really makes me deturmined to find out what it is."

"And you, being more deturmined, makes me more sure that I shouldn't tell you."

His crooked smile became a full on grin that made my heart pound, it seemed that that wasn't listening to me either.

"I guess only time will tell the winner of this battle."

I honestly didn't want to smile at him, after all he did basicly bad mouth me about being a servant. However I couldn't stop my lips from turning up as I said, "You heroes are all the same. Always looking for a battle of somekind."

He shrugged. "Can't argue with that. So getting back to the original problem, if you're not going to see the Guild Master tonight, can I at least take you back to the servant's quarters? I'd be a lousy hero if I made an injured girl walk to where ever she was going."

Again, I hesitated for only a moment, then said, "Sure..." When we got to the arches, I truned to him.

"Look," I said, dropping my arm form his shoulders, he dropped his from my waist. "I didn't ask you for saving me... however that doesn't change the fact that you did...so...I'd like to say..."

"Yeah..." he proded.

I sighed before continuing. "Thank you."

He laughed. "You see? Was that so hard?"

"Excruciating," I mummbled. This caused him to laugh more, and I found myself smiling again. Twice in one night, a new record. Then the awkward silence settled in until I cleared my throat. "You can go now..."

"Right," he said, backing away. "I'll see you tomorrow Sarah."

"Who?" I asked in confusion.

"Shoot! I thought your name would be Sarah."

I shook my head. "Nope, not even close. You're never going to guess it you know."

"We'll see about that," he said while jogging away. Over his shoulder he shouted, "Bye Tina!"

I shook my head again, before heading back to inside. I flopped onto my bed, suddenly feeling tired. My feelings were all mixed up, and for the same reason; I was going to have to see Chris again tomorrow. On one hand, I liked him. He was fun to be around, and he was one of the only heroes that talked to me. On the other hand, I didn't know what'd I'd do if he ever found out my name. It was pretty common after all.

"Relax," I told myself while yawning. "It's only a name. Even if he get's it right someday, that doesn't mean I have to tell him _**everything **_that happened..."

I fell asleep holding onto that thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:****Hey guys :D I am SO! sorry for not posting anything new on here for the past few months! But between school and my other story I had no time to even think about where I wanted to go with this story! Fortunately I have a rather chill semester, so now I have time and I have decided on what will happen in here :D that is if the characters actually listen to me :/ Am I the only one who has trouble keeping my characters in line? No? Okay good :D No seriously, my characters seem to have a life of their own and just do what they want... Okay I'll admit that what they want to do is usually better than what I had planed, but at the time I didn't see it that way. It's just kind of like "What the heck am I writing? This wasn't in the plans!" Meh, I'll get over it I guess :) So enough stalling cause you guys have a LOT to read :) Please review honestly and enjoy this latest installment!**

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"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!"

I groaned and forced my eyes to open a little to see who I was going to blame for waking me up at this ungodly hour. A dark green eye stared back at me.

"Holy Avo!" I screamed while quickly sitting up.

The woman chuckled at my reaction. "Better watch that tongue of yours, kid. Not many people 'round here appreciate that kind of language."

I glared at her. "Well what in Avo's name did you think I was going to do _**Aunty**_ Katharine?"

She rolled her eyes at me before standing up. With a single shake of her head, her jaw length blonde hair fell into place perfectly. She adjusted her light brown corseted top and matching sleeves that started three inches below her shoulders, and I almost didn't count them as sleeves. But as my Aunty pointed out yesterday, they're attached to her shirt and from that I learned to never argue with her logic, because even if you prove her wrong she'll stick by her point. Then Katharine straightens out her purplish blue pants, and dusted off some dirt that was on her knee length leather boots.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Why do you always try to look perfect? I mean, your boots are just going to get dust on them again right?"

Katharine sighed and shook her head at me, almost as if I was a lost cause. "You have a lot to learn, Squirt. Can't say I'm surprised though, considering where you grew up and all."

"You say that like _**you**_ didn't grow up in the same place." I retorted. I smirked when she shot me a glowering look.

"That's the difference between you and I. When I left that sad little village, I decided to leave it all behind and start new."

"Well in that sense, we aren't so different. The _**real**_ difference between us is that you left when you were eighteen and you chose to go. I had no other option."

There was a long silence as my words sunk into both of our minds, reminding us of what we lost… Katharine gently kicked my sandal and looked out the arches.

"Come on," she said nodding outside. "Let's go get some food before the Heroes eat it up."

I nodded my agreement and got to my feet. When I looked back up, I saw that Katharine had left me. Honestly I wasn't surprised. I guess you can say I grew a tolerance to her constant leaving. What really surprised me though was when she poked her head around the corner again.

"By the way," she started. "If anyone asks, you're from Knothole Glade. Your skin is dark enough that you'll pass for it. And try to not call me 'Aunty' when people are around. I'm supposed to be from Bowerstone."

I nodded then decided to add my own requirements. "As long as you don't use my name. You can call me 'Squirt', 'Kid', whatever you want. Just don't use my name."

She let out a small laugh. "I was going to do that anyway." With that she disappeared again. However, I still needed to ask her more questions.

"_I guess I'll have to ask her later."_ I thought while stretching. I sighed and headed toward the dining hall.

After breakfast was over, Katharine started to show me what I had to do for chores, which was basically taking care of the rooms. Sweeping and washing the floor, making beds, putting books away, organizing the books, and waiting on the Heroes were one of the many highlights I had to look forward to. When Katharine was done explaining everything I decided to ask her my questions.

"How do I know you?" I asked.

"Your mother and I were very close friends before she moved to Knothole Glade." She replied without batting an eye. Then she continued. "When you were born I was named your God Mother and have tried to see you as often as I could."

"Are we close?"

She shook her head. "I try to act close to you by calling you Squirt, but you only call me Katharine and you also hate being called that."

I scoffed. "I don't know. You seem to know me pretty well Katharine."

She shot me a smirk. "That's what you think Squirt."

I glanced around quickly to make sure no one was listening, but even though I saw no one I still whispered. "How many people know the truth?"

Katharine did a quick glance of her own before she answered. "Only the Guild Master. When I told him the truth about us, he realized how important it was to keep things quiet. He's a man of his word and I'd trust him before that Maze guy any day."

I shivered at the mention of his name. Even though Maze was a well renowned Hero, there was something about him that didn't seem… right. My mother had always said that eyes were the windows to the soul and Maze's eyes held something dark. What that darkness could be, though, I hadn't a clue.

"Well," Katharine said while stretching. As if walking around and pointing at things was a workout. "You better get started. Day isn't getting any younger."

"Wait, you're not going to help me?" I asked in surprise.

Katharine laughed sarcastically. "Sorry, kid, but I have my own chores to do. If I don't get them done, I don't eat." With that she headed for the exit and gave a small wave over her shoulder.

I looked around the room and sighed deeply. I honestly didn't think they would make a little girl like me clean the whole room by myself. The area alone was three times bigger than my old house. I looked around more slowly and started to formulate a plan in my mind. I would start by making beds, putting books away and then organizing them. Then I would sweep the floor and mop before dinner so that the floor would be dry when the Heroes were finished eating. Then the rest of the night I would spend waiting on the Heroes. I nodded to myself and set to work. I had just finished making the last bed when someone grabbed my shoulders roughly.

"Boo!" the voice shouted beside my ear. I screamed at the top of my lungs and fell to the ground, arms over my head. My frantic heart beat was all I heard in my ears, and then I heard a familiar voice. I looked up to see Chris doubled over with laughter.

"That wasn't funny!" I yelled at him while straightening. My glare didn't seem to have an effect on his laughing though.

"If you had seen your reaction, you'd be laughing to!" He replied. Unlike yesterday, I managed to keep my glare at full force.

"Is that the way you treat an injured girl? You ought to be ashamed of yourself! The way I see it, that's nothing but a bad deed!"

Chris stopped mid laugh at the words 'Bad deed' and shot me a scared look. "You really think that counts as a bad deed?"

I nodded; glad to see him finally feeling remorse. What I didn't expect was for him to throw himself at my feet, head down and hands together almost as if he were praying.

"Please forgive me," he begged. I glanced around to make sure no one was witnessing this embarrassing turn of events. I sighed in relief to see no one. When I looked down at him again, my mouth went up in a crooked grin. I reached down and grabbed his chin with my finger so I could look into his eyes.

"Okay," I said. "I'll forgive you this one time." I couldn't help but smile at the relief in his eyes.

"Thanks," he said while standing up. "You don't know how much that means to me."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure sure."

He smiled teasingly at me. "So is your name, by any chance, Boo?"

I let out a short laugh. "Even if it was, I wouldn't tell you!"

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he replied with a shrug.

"Actually I can," I joked.

He stuck his tongue out at me before saying, "So you want to tell me why you're in my room?"

I smiled sarcastically at him. "Um, my job?"

"That's right!" he exclaimed while snapping his fingers. "You're that mysterious servant girl from yesterday! Karen, wasn't it?"

I rolled my eyes and started picking up books, remembering Katharine's words about not eating if you don't finish.

"Aw come on!" he said while picking up some book of his own. "Can't you tell me a _**little**_ about yourself?"

"Shouldn't you be training?" I asked, trying to shift the topic from me to him.

"Shouldn't you be limping?" he retorted, shifting the topic back to me.

I frowned and looked at my ankle. I didn't notice it wasn't hurting until her pointed it out. I looked back up to see him smiling and I knew something was up.

"What did you do?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

He shrugged. "You didn't want to see the Guild Master so I thought I'd bring him to you."

"Aw, Chris! I told you I didn't want to wake him up!"

"You're welcome," was all he said. Then he started taking the books to the shelves. I followed him in resentment. I hated the fact that I wasn't limping. I hated owing people something; it just didn't come naturally to me. Then a thought crossed my mind and I stopped in my tracks.

"Is that why you're not training today?" I asked, grabbing his shoulder with my free hand so he would look at me. I frantically searched his eyes for the truth. "Did the Guild Master use too much Manna to heal me and now he's too tired to train anyone?"

Chris turned away from my searching eyes and started putting books away. That was all the answer I needed. I dropped the books I was holding and started to run with my eyes down. I didn't know where I was going and I bumped into quite a few people, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other; fighting tears the whole time. When I finally looked back up, I found myself in the guild woods. I looked for a quiet, out of the way spot and when I found it, I sat down, brought my knees to my face and cried bitterly.

"It's my fault! It's _**always**_ my fault! Everything bad always happens when _**I'm**_ around!" I kept saying to myself over and over again. Ever since _**that**_ night, I had hated myself. I was nothing but a helpless little girl who couldn't save the things she loved most. Albeit, I was only thirteen, but the one time in my life I got the chance to prove myself, I screwed up. Now everything I've ever loved and cared about is gone and I have to move on as if they have never existed. If I didn't, the other option would destroy all the values that I've been taught…

Someone touches my arm gently. Startled, I look up to see Chris sitting beside me. His face is etched with sadness and understanding. I buried my face into my knees again and cried even harder. Chris's hand never left my arm, even when I tried to push him away. After awhile, it stopped bothering me. In fact, I found myself holding onto it like it was a lifeline. I never cried in front of people, but I felt comfortable crying in front of Chris.

"You know," he started after my sobs became little sniffles. "I cried too when I first got here. I used to live in Oakvale before this. My dad was a carpenter and my mom… well I'm not really sure what she did. Maybe trading because she was always going places. Anyway, I also had an older sister and we were pretty close. Everything was great, but then two weeks ago everything went up in flames. Bandits attacked my home town and killed my…" he cleared his throat. "They killed my family. Th-that's when Maze found me and brought me here. I tried to be strong because I was going to become a Hero someday and Heroes don't cry. Whenever I was alone though, I cried my eyes out. Then one day the Guild Master caught me. At first I tried to get a hold of myself, but then the Guild Master said that it takes a certain kind of strength to cry in front of others..."

His voice started to fade out and I felt like I should share something in return with him. I mean, he had told a really personal part of himself! I owed him my name at least. But I wasn't ready for that. So I decided to tell him my and Katharine's story laced with the truth.

"I used to live in Knothole Glade," I said hoarsely. I cleared my throat before going on. "My father was well known and respected through out the village. He wasn't the Chief, but he did have a say on what would and wouldn't happen concerning the village, and usually what he voted on was the thing they would choose. My mother was the caring woman of the village. She always put the need of her family andvillage before her own. Sometimes she went without food because she had given her portion to a widow. I was the eldest of three children and my brother, sister and I were very close. Sometimes we crossed the line between siblings and friends. Everything wasn't perfect, but I was happy where I was and couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Then two days ago... Balverines came to the village and killed... lots of people, my family included. My... God-mother is a servant here and she's taken me in, but I hardly know her and she doesn't know anything about me. Everything has happened so fast that I guess I didn't have time to cry. I must have reached my breaking point today..."

We both just sat there after my voice faded, listening to the running water of a near-by stream. Even well after the sun went down and the stars twinkled in the sky, we still sat there. Then Chris cleared his throat.

"Well," he started, removing his hand from my arm. His warmth was replaced with the cold night air. "You think we should be heading back?"

I shook my head and continued to stare at the sky. "You go ahead. I want to look at the stars for awhile..."

He left without a word and to be honest I was surprised. I thought that he would have put up more of a fight for me to leave or have stayed there a little bit longer. Then two minutes later, I realized why he left. He came back with a basket full of bread in one hand, blankets in the other and a canteen of water around his neck. Without a word, we both started to set up for a midnight picnic of some kind. Only when we had finished did I speak.

"How come you freaked out when I said that you scaring me could count as a bad deed?" I didn't look at him and I didn't feel him looking at me. It was like we were mesmerized by the starry night sky.

"The day the bandit came was my sister's birthday," he started. "I had forgotten to get her a present. My father said that he would give me a gold piece fore every good deed I did. The day was winding up and I was on my last good deed, watching these barrels for this one man, and all of a sudden this trouble making kid came and started to taunt me. He dared me to break the guys barrels and I... I did. I got back to the place where I was supposed to stand before the man came back and got the good deed plus the gold piece I found in one of the barrels. I didn't get caught and it seemed like no one knew. Then I saw my dad. He gave me the money for the good deeds like he promised, but it was like he knew what I had done. He said that he was disappointed in me or something like that. That was the last time I saw him alive..."

I nodded and stole a glace at him. "So doing good deeds and keeping from bad ones is like your way of saying 'sorry' to him."

Chris nodded and looked at me. I quickly looked away but not before seeing his sad smile.

"You're never going to tell me your name are you?"

I bit my lip and slowly shook my head. "I don't know. I might someday, but right now it's not something I'm willing to do. You may think it's stupid, but to me my name is important. I'm not going to give it away lightly. I'm sorry..."

"Do you mind if I give you a nickname then?"

I half smiled and looked at him. "Depends on what it is."

"How does 'Night blossom' sound?"

I shot him a questioning look. He blushed slightly and looked away from me.

"We first met eachother at night and our friendship sortof bloomed at night too... If you think it's lame I'll understand."

"No," I replied, looking back to the stars with a soft smile on my face. "I like it. Thank you."

As we sat on the blanket, looking at the sky, I realized how true his words were. Just being around him made me smile more, and it was so easy to share stuff with him, even if it wasn't the complete truth. However, if things kept going the way they did, I'd probably would tell him all about my past and why I couldn't afford to believe my family lived. For now though, like a Night Blossom blooming at the slightest light of the moon, so did our friendship that night under the starry sky.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys :D So I was reading the comment about Skorm and Avo not being real and thought I'd address it here. I played the game "Lost Chapters" on my X-Box so I knew that they were made up. However, like Elflady88 said, the people of Albion don't know that. Since my story is about a girl from Albion who probably wouldn't know anything about the Gods not being real, she would refer to them as if they were. Hope that clears things up a bit :) Also, I apologize to the readers who might be getting annoyed about not knowing too much about Night Blossom (*sweat*) I haven't got a complaint about her past being kept secret, but I thought it was going to be a matter of time. Just to warn you, if things go according to what I have planned then you're not going to learn her whole past for a while yet… So yeah that's about it :D like before please be honest when you review and please enjoy.**

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*~Two Years Later~*

I blew my bangs off of my forehead and wiped the sweat off of it with my hand. I was just about done washing the floor after a couple of hours of intense cleaning. I glanced out the entrance that lead outside and saw that the sun was still in the middle of the sky. I smiled brightly and scrubbed faster. My shoulder length hair and my dark brown poncho like thing hung down and I was glad for the cream coloured top I wore underneath. When I first made the outfit, the poncho was supposed to be bigger, but there wasn't enough material, so I made it a little smaller. Then I realized that I needed to wear something under it because my body had changed and I wasn't a little kid anymore. Even Katharine had stopped calling me "Squirt" so much. Everyone who needed to know me knew me as Night Blossom or Night Flower. No one really bothered to find out my real name anymore, because they liked my nickname. I guess I had Chris to thank for that. I smiled at the thought of him.

"_I hope training ends soon,"_ I thought while scrubbing the last dirty spot on the floor. I figured out a few weeks after my first day that if I finished doing my chores early, then I was free to spend the rest of the day however I pleased. At first, I was lucky to get an hour off, but recently I had been finishing at about lunch time.

I grabbed my pail and ran outside as fast as I could to dump my water. When I finished that I put the pail and my rag in their usual spot and raced toward the Guild Woods. My cream coloured, one-sided skirt swished with every step. I almost tripped over my new sandals and just about cursed under my breath, but I stopped myself just in time. I still wasn't used to the fact that the straps crisscrossed all the way up to my mid-calve, but even though I kept tripping I didn't slow my pace until I got to my spot in the woods. I dug around the bottom of a nearby tree and found a bundle buried beneath leaves and twigs. I smiled and held the bundle close to my chest, and started running deeper into the forest.

When I reached a certain area, I stopped and unwrapped the bundle. There, in my hands, was a bow and a few arrows. I glanced around to be sure that no one was watching and took an arrow, hooked it onto the string and aimed for a tree that had a ring on it. I pulled the string back until it touched my lips and sent the arrow flying. It landed right in the middle of the ring and I smiled triumphantly.

"Boo!" someone shouted from behind me. I quickly took another arrow, hooked it onto the string, pulled the string and turned and aimed at the person's chest in one fluid motion.

I let out a short laugh at the person's expression and put my weapon down. "Chris, I warned you not to scare me when I'm training!"

He shook his head and seemed to be trying to restart his heart. "I'll have to remember that. Next time I might not be so lucky."

I giggled then walked to the tree to grab my arrow. I grabbed it, pulled and it didn't move. I frowned and tried again but no luck.

I heard Chris chuckle behind me, closer than I thought he'd be, as he reached around me and put his hand over mine. He pulled gently and the arrow was in my hand. I turned and made a face at him.

"I didn't ask for your help," I said in a teasing voice, taking my hand from his.

He threw his hands up, but smiled when he said, "Fine, see if I ever help you again."

We both laughed and went back to the makeshift archery range that we had spent weeks making. When Chris first got his bow and arrows, he practiced once with the Guild Master then took the test and passed with flying colours. As a reward, he got a yew crossbow. I heard he also got a lot of other things from his mêlée and magic tests, but what I was interested in was the longbow that he probably wouldn't use. I guess I wasn't so discreet about my interest in it because a few days after he got the crossbow, he gave me his longbow. Then we realized that if I was going to use it, we would have to make a secret archery range where no one would see me. After all, I was just a servant. Why would I have a bow and arrows?

That was mainly the reason why I started getting my chores done as quickly as possible. I would run to this place and start building targets and Chris would join me after his training. Now that everything was done, I stood amazed at what we had accomplished. We had still targets, moving targets and even targets that would jump out and surprise you. Chris had to practice all his hero disciplines which were mêlée, magic and of course archery. I focused more on my archery, but sometimes I would work on my mêlée. However I only used a small knife. Chris offered me his iron long sword but I kindly refused. I liked using a knife because I could move easier and faster than my opponent. I didn't attempt to use magic. Only Heroes had manna and had the ability to use magic and I knew I wasn't a Hero.

"You've gotten really good," Chris said as I sent another arrow flying toward a moving target and it landed in the middle of the ring.

"You could say it runs in the family," I said with a wink.

"I wouldn't know then," he replied, gently punching my shoulder. "Go and grab your arrow, I have something I need to give you before we head back."

"Head back?" I asked in confusion. I looked around and saw that it was already close to dinner. I shook my head at myself. I was so glad Chris was around. If he didn't keep track of the time, I would have practiced well into the night.

I jogged to the target and pulled my arrow out with ease. I shot Chris a smirk and jogged back, almost tripping over my sandals again. Tripping in front of Chris would have been the worst. I wouldn't have heard the end of it.

We both started jogging back to our usual spot, where I would stash my bow and we'd sometimes sit and talk. It was the same spot where I cried in front of him for the first and hopefully last time. Even though we had become good friends, I didn't want to cry in front of him again, because I knew that if he saw me cry now it would hurt him deeply. In fact, if we just sat in our spot without saying anything, I would catch him looking at me with a sad expression. I don't know why, but somehow I knew that he was thinking about that night. If just the memory of me crying was enough to make him sad, I didn't want to find out what would happen if I ever did it again.

When we reached our spot and after I had put my bow away, we sat down on the well-worn grass and just listened; listened to the sounds of the Guild Woods. The birds chirped happily, the running stream made hypnotic sounds and the leaves in the trees rustled with the gentle breeze. I sighed happily. I felt so at home in the woods. I turned to Chris to see him smiling at me.

"What?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

He shook his head and cleared his throat. "You really do like it here don't you?"

I shrugged my shoulders and looked around us. "I feel… alive whenever I come here. Does that make sense?"

"Barely, but I understand."

I laughed quietly. "You don't have to be nice. You can tell me that I'm crazy."

Chris chuckled. "When was the last time I told you anything but the truth?"

"Good point," I replied. I looked back at him and smiled.

Chris smiled in return. "That's what I was looking at. When I first met you, you hardly ever smiled or laughed or joked. It was like you put up this wall around yourself so you could protect yourself. You would smirk and use sarcasm so you could keep everyone at arm's length, even me for a while. Then you slowly let your guard down and smiled more, laughed freely, used sarcasm for jokes instead of for self-preservation. Every time you laugh or smile I can't help but stare and thank Avo for the little miracle that he made happen."

I blushed furiously and looked away. No matter how many times he did it, I never got used to Chris complementing me, or speaking so freely with me.

I heard his soft laugh. "Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I don't know why but it's easier to talk around you. I never say half the things I say to you to the Guild Master or Whisper."

I stiffed at Whisper's name. Ever since I became friends with Chris, Whisper had been giving me a glare every time she looked at me. Chris told me it was all in my head, but I thought that she was probably jealous of my close relationship with him. I know I was jealous that she was able to spend time with him and not care who could see. I had to spend time with him on the sly, because he would get teased if he was seen with me, and my Aunty would yell at me if she knew I was making friends with a Hero…

Suddenly, there was a package on my lap and I looked over at Chris quizzically. He just smiled and motioned for me to open it. I rolled my eyes but did as he said. When the wrapping was gone I gasped and looked back at Chris.

"Happy birthday," he said with a bright grin.

I picked my jaw up off the ground and looked back at the box of chocolates on my lap. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"It's not my birthday."

Chris laughed. "I know that, but you won't tell me when your birthday is, so I decided to make it on the first day you got here."

I felt something warm run down my face and reached to see what it was. It took me a while to realize I was crying because I hadn't done it in so long. Two years to be exact. Then I started scolding myself and tried to hide my face from Chris.

"_After I said for so long that I would never cry in front of him again!"_ I thought. Chris grabbed my chin gently and forced me to look at him. I kept my eyes closed so that he wouldn't see the tears, but he didn't let go of me and I kept wanting to open my eyes to see his reaction. Finally curiosity won and I peeked at his expression. To my surprise he was smiling.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked quietly.

"Ever hear of tears of joy?" he asked in return.

I shook my head as much as I could with his hand holding my chin. "Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"I guess it could be," he said with a small chuckle. "But tears of joy are tears that you get when you're extremely happy about something. Like if a man was engaged to a woman and someone told him that she had died he would cry tears of sadness. But if he found out later that she was still alive he would cry tears of joy because his love was alive and well."

I nodded, understanding what he meant. I was truly happy for the first time since I got there. Whenever I was with Chris, it was like I was in a different world where there were no problems, and I could laugh and smile. But when I'd go back to the Guild, the magic would start to fade and it would be hard to even think about being happy. No one there cared for me, my own Aunty didn't celebrate my birthday and I felt alone. Then Chris made that bridge between our world and reality and I finally realized that someone did care for me.

"Thank you," I whispered while wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug, tears flowed down my face again. To my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him.

"You're welcome my little Night Blossom," he whispered back. In that moment something inside me had changed. Chris and I had shared a number of hugs in that very spot, but they all had felt like a brother and sister kind of hug. I don't know what made me think differently, but the thought that crossed my mind still echoed inside me.

"_I love him…"_

That's when the tears of joy turned into tears of sadness. I knew that it wouldn't work out for us. He was a Hero and I was a servant. He was out of my league and I was far below his. If he ever courted me, he would be the subject of ridicule and I would be frowned upon. Then there was my past to deal with. Would I ever trust him enough to tell him everything? If not, then a romantic relationship with him wouldn't work because there would always be that mistrust between us. Even if I did tell him, he might be put in danger. It was there that I made another promise to myself. I would never let Chris know of my feelings for him. Never.

I pulled myself away from him and forced myself to smile. "We better get going."

He nodded and stood, his hand extended to help me up. At first I was going to just stand up on my own, not wanting to hold his hand, then I thought he would realize something was wrong because he usually helped me up and I always let him. I took a deep breath and grabbed his hand, hating the way I thought that mine fit perfectly in his.

"So you going to share those chocolates?" he asked.

I forced a laugh through my lips. Suppressing my feelings wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. "I thought they were my birthday present!"

"Do you know how long it took me to save the money for those? The least you could do is give me one."

I rolled my eyes but gave him a piece of chocolate. He popped it in his mouth and started toward the Guild. I followed behind him, trying not to stare, but it was hard. His black hair contrasted with his light skin and his apprentice outfit showed off the muscles he had gotten from two years of training. I shook my head and looked at the ground. I couldn't take it anymore and decided to lie to Chris.

"Umm," I started. He looked over his shoulder at me, but didn't stop walking. "I think I left…something…over at our spot. You go ahead, and I'll catch up with you."

He stopped and looked at me. "You sure?"

I nodded and once again forced a smile. "In case you didn't get it when I almost shot you today, I can take care of myself."

He chuckled. "Alright. I'll see you later then." With that, he turned and left. I stayed rooted to my spot and when he was out of ear shot, I sunk to the ground and cried. The chocolates fell out of the box, but I didn't bother to pick them up. Why did it have to hurt every time he looked at me with his bright blue eyes? Why did it feel like a stab into my heart every time he smiled at me? Is this what I had to endure for the rest of my life?

A gentle hand rested on my shoulder and I looked up quickly, scared that it was Chris. Instead, I saw my Aunty with a sad expression on her face.

"What's wrong Squirt?" she asked in a soft voice as she knelt beside me. "What're you doing way out here? I've been looking for you."

I looked at her and buried my face into her chest. "What am I… going to… do… Aunty?" I asked in between sobs.

"Shh shh. It's going to be okay," she said while rubbing my hair. I just sobbed harder. After I had calmed down I told her what was happening to me, starting with the very first time I met Chris. Her frown deepened every time I said Chris's name. When I was finally done saying everything, including the part about me being in love with him, my Aunty had a worried expression on her face.

"Listen to me closely kid, because I'm going to tell you something very important," she said, running a hand through her hair. "This is why I was looking for you, I kind of figured you were getting close to him, I could see it in the way he looked at you every time you were in the dining hall. I know you probably feel really bad right now, and I honestly wish I didn't have to tell you this but it might help you decide if you want to keep seeing him, as a friend or otherwise. Chris is the son of Scarlet Robe."

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. A voice that I had been trying so hard to block out ever since I got there echoed in my mind.

"_You _**will**_ meet him one day, and gain his trust. When the time is right, you will bring him to me_ _and I will give you the thing you want most…"_

"I can't see him anymore…" I said with conviction. "It's the only way I can protect him."

Katharine nodded and stood. "Tomorrow, you will come here with him and do what you normally do. When it's almost dinner time I will be waiting here and when you guys come by, I will yell at you and order you to never see him again. If you do, I will send you back to Knothole Glade and you will have to live in the orphanage there. Before any of that though, you should tell him about the horrible things about the orphanage and how you're so happy that I was willing to take you in, and that you would be willing to do anything I said even if it hurt you. Are you willing to do this?"

I started crying again but felt my determination grow with every word she said. I looked up at Katharine and nodded before speaking.

"I refuse to be the death him."

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**End Chapter 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys :D I know I just posted the 3****rd**** chapter like 2 seconds ago, but the story was getting good and I had an idea clear in my mind, and the next thing I knew I had typed 2 chapters :S so I have a bit of a confession to make… the ending of chapter 3 was not what I had planned! Okay that's a lie, I did have it planned but it wasn't supposed to happen until later on in the story and I was going to have Chris be the one to tell Night Blossom that his mother was Scarlet Robe, but as I was sitting in the Woods with them and when Chris gave her the chocolates I felt myself melt at the sudden love Night Blossom felt for him. Ever since her parents "died" (I'll let you figure that one out yourself ;) ) Night Blossom hadn't had anyone care for her. Katharine did to an extent, but she didn't do anything for her birthday or anything. Night Blossom felt all alone and then boom! Chris gave her chocolates! She falls for him, and the excuses she came up with to not act on her feelings could have been solved easily, and she would have told him eventually. The only thing that could keep her from doing that is if Chris's life was in danger by being near her. Why would him being close to her be life threatening? You'll find out as you keep reading. So now my plans are all messed up (stupid Chris and his chocolates!) and I have to figure stuff out, so if I don't post anything new for a while after this chapter please forgive me (*bow*) I would also like to apologize for making things a little dramatic so close to the beginning, and I apologize in advance if I make you cry :'( I know I cried typing this up… so anyway, please review honestly and enjoy :)**

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**I sighed and looked up at the sun. It was still high in the sky as I dumped the water out from my bucket. I tried to do my chores slowly, but then I'd start thinking about the plan Katharine and I came up with and would start feeling my heart break. Then to keep myself from thinking about it I'd clean as much as I possibly could. It was an endless cycle and I was always hurt in the end. When my pail and rag were put away, I started trudging to the Guild Woods for possibly the last time. I looked toward the mêlée ring as I passed by and saw Chris looking at me. I forced myself to put some enthusiasm behind my steps, flashed him a stiff smile and waved a little. He gave a slight wave in return and looked away quickly, smiling widely.

As I got in the woods, I wondered what it would be like to have him not even acknowledge me when I waved or smiled at him. A tear rolled down my face and I wiped it away angrily. I was _**not**_ going to back down from my decision. As long as I lived, I refused to get close to Chris and do what that man wanted me to do to him. Even if it would give me back…

I shook my head and grabbed my bow from the tree and ran to the archery range. As soon as I got there I started firing arrows left and right as fast as I could. I figured that if I wasn't going to go there anymore I might as well make my last few moments there count. I kept going and going until there were no more arrows for me to shot, and then I started running and used my knife on the surprise dummies. Only when everything was tripped and nothing was left did I stop. I breathed heavily as I looked around. Every target had at least three arrows stuck to it and all the surprise dummies were torn to shreds. I felt better and almost forgot about everything else. Then I heard someone shuffle behind me.

"Are you done?" I heard Chris ask from a couple feet away from me. I turned to him and smiled. I couldn't tell if the smile was real or not.

"Maybe, maybe not, but the dummies are," I replied.

Chris chuckled and started grabbing arrows from the trees and other dummies. I helped him and tried not to look at him, but like yesterday it was hard not to and I found myself stealing little glances at him. To my surprise he stole glances at me too. When every arrow was collected, we stood beside each other and said nothing.

"You know-" I started.

"I was thinking-" he said at the same time. We both laughed and I motioned for him to continue. He cleared his throat. "Well seeing as we're going to have to fix everything up again, we might as well take the rest of the day off and fix it up tomorrow."

The smile I gave him was as real as it got. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

We both walked to our spot and, after I put my bow in its place, we sat in the grass and again listened to the sound of the Woods but something was different today. The birds' song sounded sad, the leaves made a sad rustling sound almost like a reluctant crowd of people clapping, and the stream sounded like someone somewhere was crying. I had to bit my lip to stop it from trembling. It made sense that the forest would feel my pain. It was there from the moment I started this friendship and it was there for the end.

"What's wrong Night Blossom?" Chris asked with a worried tone in his voice.

I frowned and cleared my throat, hoping to get rid of the huge lump I felt in there. It didn't work so I was forced to speak around it. "The Woods sound sad today… I was just wondering why."

Chris frowned and listened too. "Your right," he said after a while. "They do sound sad…"

Again, a strange silence that was never there before hung between us. Then Chris cleared his throat.

"I think you were right about Whisper," he finally said. I glanced at him and gave him a questioning look. "Today, when you waved at me, Whisper saw and gave me a real lecture. She told me that I was a Hero and that I shouldn't be interacting with peasants like you. I told her that it really wasn't her business who I made friends with and she yelled at me. She said something about me not knowing what I was getting myself into, and that you were going to hurt me one day. Then I said something really stupid. I think I said 'You mean like the way you're hurting me right now by judging my friend by where she's from and what her status is?' Then she said something that really confused me. She shook her head and said 'You don't even know where she's really from! And believe me when I say she will hurt you far worse than I ever could…' and then she walked away…"

My heart was hammering in my chest. _"How does she know?"_ I thought while trying to breathe. It all made sense now; the glares, the snubbing she gave me whenever I offered to help her with something. If she knew what that man wanted me to do to Chris, I wouldn't blame her for all the things she did to me. If she was going to do that to Chris I would have acted the same, maybe even worse. I cleared my throat.

"What would you do if we weren't able to be friends?" I asked.

Chris raised his eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"

I just shrugged my shoulders. To my surprise, Chris took my hand with his and squeezed it hard, almost like he never wanted to let go.

"I'd probably be the most miserable person in all of Albion." He replied.

I smiled sadly at him. "You mean the second most miserable."

He shook his head and said his next lines with a very serious expression. "No, because then I'd have no one I could talk to. My family has been taken away, but the Guild Master and Whisper have become like a family to me. I never had a real friend until I met you. No matter what I say to you, you listen and give me your honest opinion even if I may not like it. I talk more with you then I ever did with my own sister. If I ever lost you…"

I squeezed his hand and leaned against him. I almost told him everything right there. Almost told him who the man was and what he wanted me to do. Almost told him that I would never hurt him because I loved him. Almost… but not quite. As the sun dipped deeper into the horizon, I felt him start to slip away from me even though I was holding his hand almost as tight as he was holding mine. I sighed before talking.

"I think my God Mother knows about us." I said while whipping a tear from my eye with my free hand. Like when I told Chris about my life before, I laced some truth in with the lies. "When I first came here, she told me that she didn't want me making friends with any of the Heroes here. She said they would only use me and leave me broken and abandoned. I asked her what if I made friends with a nice Hero and she laughed at me. She said there was no such thing because all Heroes saw themselves above others and didn't care if they hurt someone. Especially people like me. She would never listen to reason, so I'm afraid that if she does know… she'll force us to stop being friends or else…"

"Or else what?" he asked when my voice faded.

I breathed deeply before continuing. "Or else she'll send me back to Knothole Glade and put me in the orphanage there. I don't doubt that she would, but she wouldn't have to ask me twice. Chris, I love being your friend, you know I do, but I owe everything I have right now to Katharine. If she wasn't there to take care of me, I don't know what…" I started crying quietly. I had intended to only tell him part of the truth, but when I replayed what I said to him back in my mind, I realized the only lie that I told him was that Katharine was my God Mother. Everything else was as true as the tears rolling down my face.

Chris pulled me to him and I cried into his shirt. "Then we can't let her know about us." He said simply. He sounded so sure that it was possible that I almost believed what he said, but I knew better so I said nothing and just let him hold me for the last time…

When the sun was in the place it was usually at for dinner, I forced myself from Chris and stood. Out loud I said, "We should go before Katharine notices." Inside I was begging Avo to give us more time to be together, but as the sun started to set at a rapid pace, I realized that it was one of my many prayers that would go unanswered. As we walked toward the Guild, I saw a shadowed figure standing a few feet away and started to cry. I knew what was going to happen next and I wished I could just skip it all, but I couldn't.

"I knew it!" Katharine screeched when we got closer to her, and by then I was sobbing bitterly. By the look on her face, this was hurting her almost as much as it was hurting me, but she hid it better than I did. "You stupid girl! I told you to not make any Hero friends! I forbid you to see this boy again!" She made a move to grab me, but Chris stood in between me and her. This made Katharine pull up short, she probably wasn't expecting him to stand up to her. I expected nothing less.

"Please," he said with a sad tone. "Don't do this to her. We're nothing more than friends I promise, and I would never do anything to hurt her. She's my best friend Miss Katharine, and I'm hers. Please, if you can find it in your heart, let us continue our friendship and I promise to prove to you that not all Heroes are as bad as you think."

The glare that Katharine gave him was for real. "You don't know what you're talking about little Hero. I have had many encounters with Heroes and the worst ones are the ones that pretend to be good. They'll say all the right things, do the right quests, but in the end they'll have five wives and kill people to buy and rent out their houses. And I'm sure that they started out as 'friends' with those five wives of theirs, and even to those people that they killed. Like I said before, Night Flower, you are _**never**_ to see this boy again. Do I make myself clear?"

I nodded, unable to speak through my tears. I let her take me away from the only happiness I have known. When we were out of the Guild Woods and in the servant's quarters, she turned to me and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry, my brave little niece. I followed you and heard every word that you two said to each other. If it wasn't for that man, I would have let you two continue to be friends. Heck, if he was any other Hero, I wouldn't have minded to have him become part of the family, but we both know that this is for his own good. You're not alone in this my girl. Just like I was there to take you in when everything fell apart two years ago, I'll continue to be here when your heart does the same. We can only rely on each other now…"

"I love him, Aunty," I sobbed. She pulled me closer to her.

"I know, baby," she said, her voice thick with emotion. I had no doubt that she was crying too. "I know…"

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The days that followed were one of the hardest of my life. It seemed that everywhere I looked there was Chris. When I cleaned the rooms I would look outside and see him. When I'd take a walk, I'd catch a glimpse of him going around a corner. I'd be eating dinner and I'd hear his laugh, but when I'd look around I wouldn't see him. It seemed that the more I tried to _**not**_ look at him, the more I saw him. What was equally as heart breaking was the fact that I couldn't go into the Guild Woods anymore. If I did, I might have seen him. I didn't trust myself enough to be alone with him and still be able to keep with the plan. Then one day I found something on Chris's bed.

Chris had made his bed and on his pillow was a note that said, _"Night Blossom"_ in his best handwriting. I just stared at it for ten minutes, wondering what I should do. Curiosity took over, and I opened the note to read it.

"_My Night Blossom,"_ it read. _"I know that just leaving this note for you is dangerous, but I had to talk to you someway. If I didn't I felt like I would have gone mad. I miss you, the woods aren't the same without you, and the archery range seems to ring with the ghost of your laughter. Everywhere I go, there is a memory of you and I can barely stop myself from running around the Guild to look for you. I thought I'd let you know that I fixed the archery range, and your bow is still in its spot. I won't be going back there unless you ask me to. I know that there's a possibility that you might throw this note away and not go into the Woods ever again, so I'm just going to remind you of something you said. The night before you're God Mother caught us you said that being in the woods made you feel alive. When you first said that, I didn't understand what you meant, but watching you for the past few days I finally know. You're acting the same way you did when you first got here. You drag your feet when you walk and you don't look at people. If giving you the archery range we made in the woods would give you your spark back, then I'm willing to give it up. That's what best friends do right? Please, Night Blossom, I need to hear from you, whether it be with another note or a simple nod in my direction when we see each other. I miss you… Your friend still, Chris."_

I crumpled the note in my hand. I didn't have time to think about stuff like that. I needed to finish my chores, but what he said stuck a cord with me. I missed the woods almost as much as I missed him, and I knew he loved the archery range as much as I did. Yet he was willing to give it up if it made me feel better then I felt right then. He was right though. I should've thrown the note away right when I saw it. Now I had to choose between sticking with the plan and being selfless so that I wouldn't hurt him, or being selfish and continue being his friend secretly if only to save myself from the pain.

Hating myself, I grinded my teeth and stuck the note in my pocket.

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**End Chapter 4**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys :) Sorry for the long pause between updates, but like I said in my last chapter, Chris made the story plot all wonked so I had to do some damage control :P so if you want to blame someone, blame Chris hahaha. So anyway this chapter is the very first (Maybe only?) chapter where I have actual dialog from the game. It was a little difficult to have the character, who says next to nothing throughout the whole game, match up with the way I envisioned him acting if he did talk. In the end I… well you'll just have to read for yourself ;) I apologize if I change from past tense to present tense in this chapter, my mind couldn't decide what it wanted. I fixed it where I saw it, but I could have missed some places. As always, honesty is appreciated in the reviews. Thanks for taking the time to read and please enjoy the new instalment.**

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*~Three Years Later~*

I was running in the woods, excitement pushing me on as I weaved through the trees. My long black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail to get it off of my face. My feet kept putting themselves in front of the other, trying to out-do each other and I noticed that I wasn't tripping over my sandals anymore. My dark purple wrap-around mid-thigh length skirt started to go up higher and I was glad for the cream coloured short shorts I wore underneath. The cream coloured low neckline of my shirt wrapped around my neck and was tied at the back. The dark purple part of my shirt hugged my body snuggly. Today was a very special day, not for me, but for Chris. I smiled and slowed my pace when I got to a place I thought would have the best view. I climbed a nearby tree with ease and sat up there, breathing hard and looking for him.

I pulled out the letter he left me under his pillow that morning and skimmed over it again. It said that his final test was to be that day in the Guild Woods. Of course he only told me after he told me everything he thought up to that point. He always went into detail when he wrote his letters, and I… didn't. The first letter I gave him was far from the heartfelt letter he had given me. In fact, it only consisted of one sentence.

"_Leave your letters under your pillow."_

I know it seems kind of cold, but it took me _**three**_ _**days**_ to come up with that and… well he's stuck to it at least. He would write about his day, his thoughts, how his training was going, what he was learning, how much he missed being able to see me, and all that cute stuff. What would I write back?

"_Today I did my chores and went to the archery range for a while. I'm getting better. Thanks for_ _letting me keep it. I miss you too."_

I guess it's obvious that I'm not a writting kind of person. His letters always made me laugh, and smile and miss the days when he would say it all to my face. Of course I had more to say back then, but like I said I'm not a note kind of person. Well, I guess I'm lying there, because I always wrote a really long note back to him but it always mentioned my past and or how I felt about him. I guess I'm just not good at lying on paper…

I heard footsteps below and I saw Chris walking up the hill. I smiled and started to settle in my seat when Maze appeared, his back toward me.

"I suppose you are wondering how you pass the final test then," Maze said and I found myself tensing at his voice. It's nice to know that some things will never change.

"It's simple," he continued. "You must defeat me, using all you've learned from your years of training. We'll begin with your sword. Hit me, if you can."

I had to hold myself back from calling him egotistical and other things that came to my mind in that moment.

"_You better get a good hit on him Chris,"_ I thought while leaning forward on the branch I was sitting on. _"Don't let him talk to you that way!"_

It was almost as if Chris could hear me. He unsheathed his sword and started attacking Maze left, right and centre. However, Maze would always meet Chris's sword with his staff.

"_Come on Chris. I _**know**_ you can do better than that!"_

Then he did something I remembered watching him practice all those years ago. He held his sword tight, planted his right foot in the ground and turned his whole body to his right while lifting his sword. When he came back around, he concentrated all his force into a downward swing and hit Maze on his torso, setting him off balance. I had to refrain myself from shouting out in victory.

"Very good," he said in the same I'm-better-than-you voice. "Now shot me with your bow. Don't get too close."

I find myself smirking. I was the one who taught Chris everything about archery, so I had no doubt that Chris would excel at this test. Then Chris fired his first shot. His form was pretty good, the string on his crossbow was pulled back all the way like I showed him and his aim was better than when I first taught him. However, once again, Maze blocked every arrow with his staff. I was at a loss as to how Maze kept doing it until I realized how close Chris was to him. Maze was a good enough Hero to know where Chris would be aiming just by watching his stance and the arrow.

"_You have to get farther back."_

Once again, almost as if he heard me, Chris took ten steps back and then fired two more shots. Each one hit its mark perfectly. This time, I allowed myself a little fist pump for the victory. I taught him all he knew about the bow, so I was allowed to celebrate with him. I knew Chris was dying to celebrate too but he knew what was next. You could say this was his worst subject.

"Excellent," I heard Maze say. "And finally, cast lightning at me."

There was no way for me to know what he should do so I just sat back and watched, like I'm sure Chris had wanted me to do from the beginning. Chris put his all in the lightning he was summoning, but it didn't even seem to faze Maze. Then I remembered that he was renowned for being one of the best will users in Albion. Of course a little lightning, no matter how strong, wouldn't faze him. Chris didn't stop trying though. He kept putting his all in his Will until Maze finally spoke.

"That's enough." Maze said after a while. I heard the superior tone in his voice disappear and smiled until he opened his mouth again. "Yes, quite impressive, for a novice. You'll find real battles rather more fatal than this. But you have passed your final test, and you are ready to receive your Guild seal from the Guild Master."

Just as soon as he appeared, Maze was gone, leaving me and Chris in the woods alone. I gulped and held onto the branch until my hands hurt. This is what I didn't want. Even after three years, I still didn't think I could face him by myself.

"Night Blossom," I heard him call out. I automatically shifted myself to jump off of the branch, but caught myself and held on all the tighter.

I saw his shoulders rise and fall in a sigh before he spoke again. "What, you're not going to come out here and celebrate with me? What kind of friend are you?"

I smirked and was about to say something back to him, but once again I caught myself. I guess I was stronger than I gave myself credit for.

"Come on," he replied to the silence. "If you don't come out I'm gonna have to come looking for you. Wasn't I the one who always won at hide and seek when we were little?"

"I don't think so," I heard myself say. I gasped and jumped to the tree beside me right when he looked at where I had been.

He laughed and it sounded deeper than I remembered it being. "Is that a challenge? You should know that a Hero never backs down from a challenge!" With that he ran up to the tree I jumped from, but by that time I was already half way to the Guild Woods entrance. I got into a good tree where he wouldn't be able to see me unless he was right underneath and settled in to write him the longest note I had ever written him. I must admit, when I read it over, it sounded like forced happiness, but I tried.

"_Congratulations on passing the final test! If you're reading this that means you didn't find me and I won. Teach you to challenge me to a game of hide and seek! Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. Hope you don't forget me when you're out there in the world, doing quests, getting famous and, of course, getting the girls. Be sure to send me a note once in a while!_

_Your best friend,_

_Night Blossom"_

I looked to see where Chris was and felt my eyes widen to see him closing in on me. He was about ten feet away from the trunk of my tree. I pressed myself closer to the tree, my breath coming in short gasps. What was I going to do? If I stayed up in the tree, I risked him finding me, but if I jumped down and tried to run I risked him catching me. I thought about it for one more moment, and then pushed myself off the branch as hard as I could away from Chris and hit the ground running. If he was going to catch me, he was going to have to work for it.

I heard his footsteps behind me, but they were slow to start and hit the ground at a slower beat than mine. I looked behind me, sure that he was far behind, only to gasp in surprise. His steps may have been slower but that was because he was using the length of his legs to his advantage. I was about to push myself to run faster when I tripped over my sandals. I cursed them until my face hit the ground.

"Gotcha," he said while standing over me. I lifted my face off of the dirt slowly. He was more handsome then I remembered. His black hair gleamed in the sun; he had lost any trace of baby fat from his body and face, and his blue eyes were as bright as ever. He seemed as transfixed by me as I was with him and we stared at each other for a good five minutes, until I cleared my throat and spoke.

"Hey stranger," I said, smiling sheepishly.

He laughed and held out his hand to me. "Hey yourself," he said while pulling me to my feet. With great ease I might add. He kept his hand in mine, and I didn't pull away.

"So," I started while walking toward the place we used to talk all the time. "A little birdie told me you passed the final exam."

He smiled and squeezed my hand. "Yeah I guess I did. I guess that means I'm a Hero now. Like officially."

I laughed. "Yeah, that means you have _**some**_ expectations now."

Chris snorted. "Not when they hear my Hero name there won't."

"Why? What's your Hero name?"

He looked away, but not before I saw him blush a little. I smiled, let go of his hand and moved in front of him to stop him from walking. He kept his head turned away from me, so I leaned around him until I saw his face.

"Come on, what's your name?"

He chuckled and locked eyes with me. "I thought you'd know my name by now."

I hit his arm and made a face at him. "You're such a brat!"

He laughed again and started walking to our place. "Promise you won't laugh?"

I rolled my eyes. "That's like asking the sun to set in the south. It can say yes, but it probably won't happen."

"Glad to know you put my feelings first, Flower."

"Yeah, I'm the best, but I _**try**_ not to brag about it," I replied with a wink.

He smirked. "Noble of you. Alright my Hero name, as of today, but only because I could get it for free is…"

He mumbled under his breath and I couldn't make out the name.

"What?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear me? I clearly said…" another mumble. I hit his arm and this caused him to laugh.

"Alright, alright I'll tell you. My Hero name is 'Chicken Chaser'."

I was too busy doubled over with laughter to see that we reached our spot.

He sighed and sat down. "I know it's pretty bad isn't it? How am I supposed to find information on the bandit raid in Oakvale if I have a name like Chicken Chaser?"

I sat next to him and pulled my knees to my chest. "You could always use the books in the Guild."

He shook his head. "I checked. There was nothing there that can help me find out who lead the attack. If I want answers, I have to get out there and find them myself."

"Just don't forget me when you're out there," I whispered.

"Hmm?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, I was just talking to myself."

We sat there for a few minutes listening to the familiar sounds of the Guild Woods until he whispered, "I wrote to you every day for three years, Night Blossom. I won't forget you so easily."

I blushed and buried my face in my knees. "You heard that?"

"I hear everything you say. Even when you can't find the words to say it."

I scoffed. "Are you referring to my lack of letter writing abilities?"

"Maybe," he replied. I can hear the smile in his voice, but I didn't look up. I just listened to the sounds of the woods like I always did when I was with him.

"Can you believe it's been three years since we last saw each other?" I asked while closing my eyes. I felt Chris put his hand on my shoulder, like he did when we were thirteen.

"Can you believe it's been one thousand nine hundred and five days since we had a conversation like this? Not that I was keeping track or anything."

I laughed. "Well now that I'm eighteen, I'm old enough to decide what I want to do with my life. Even if it means risking everything by talking to a certain Hero. I'm selfish."

"Selfish?"

I sighed and looked at him. "I didn't disregard my God Mother's orders just because I could. I couldn't take the… pain… of losing you… of losing my best friend that is." I added quickly.

He shot me a crooked smile and looked out into the forest, taking his hand off my shoulder. "I think I was more selfish. I was the one who broke down first and wrote to you even though it could have got you sent away."

I smiled and looked at the sky. "It's weird," I said while closing my eyes. "If I close my eyes, it's like no time has passed since that night. Like we're still fifteen and we're so comfortable with each other, we don't need to speak."

I opened my eyes and I turned to see him watching me.

"But then I open my eyes," I continued. "And I see you here, all grown up and ready to take on the world and rid it of evil. And what did I accomplish during that time? I disobeyed my God Mother, the person I disobeyed her for is leaving and I'm going to be stuck here cleaning bedrooms for the rest of my life."

"I think you could be a Hero if you talked to the Guild Master," Chris said.

I shook my head. "No, Heroes have magic or manna or whatever you call it. They can cast lightning from the sky, build fireballs in their hands, push people away with only the power of their minds, and even summon the dead. Everyone else is just an impersonator."

"That's not true," he persisted. "I've spent most of my life around Heroes and people who are training to become Heroes, and I've never seen anyone do half the things you do. Some can barely shoot an arrow and you can fire three at a time. Some aren't good at making split second decisions and you take no more than a minute to come up with a plan that you're prepared to stick with. And don't get me started on your eyes."

"What?" I asked, laughing a little. "What does _**that**_ have to do with anything?"

He rolled his eyes. "Just one look into those big brown eyes of yours and men will fall all over themselves trying to help you."

I laughed. "You're just saying that to make me feel better about all the girls that are going to be chasing you when you step outside the Guild walls."

He shrugged, but whether it was from agreement or indifference I didn't know. We sat there for a while longer then he spoke again.

"Did you really mean it when you said that you're going to be cleaning rooms for the rest of your life?"

"I don't know," I replied, looking down. "I spent most of my life doing it, and it's pretty much all I know. Besides, I doubt they could find someone who can clean those rooms better then I can."

I glanced at Chris and saw him frowning at me, not in anger but in unease. Then suddenly, his eyes lit up and he got to his feet.

"I better get going. The Guild Master will wonder what happened to me. Are you going to the archery range from here?"

I glanced back at my bow and arrows, and nodded. "Yeah, I finished my chores early today so I could watch you take your final test. I think I'll just hang out there for the rest of the day."

He held out his hand to help me up. When he pulled me to my feet, he also pulled me into a hug.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked, trying to pull away from him, but this only made him hold me closer.

"Sorry, just doing something I wanted to do since the night you cried."

"Which one?" I asked. "When my God Mother found us, or when I first got here?"

"Both."

He held me like that for another moment before letting go. "Take care of yourself Night Flower. I'll be sure to come see you every now and then."

With that he jogged toward the Guild Woods exit, not even looking back. I felt something on my face and lifted my hand to my eye. It came up wet.

"Damn it," I whispered, wiping my eyes. "I said I wasn't going to cry…"

I took in a slow breath, and then did the only thing that I could do at the time. Just like when I last saw Chris, I ran to the range and started shooting the targets, dummies and slashing the surprise dummies all to get my mind off the pain in my heart. When I was finished, I was breathing hard and my adrenaline was still pumping through my veins. But even with that, I didn't once here the footsteps of the person who came up behind me…

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**End Chapter 5**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Note:**** Hey Guys, I'll just get right to the story :) not much for me to blab about anyway. Just the usual apology for taking so long, leaving honest comments, blah blah blah :) Please enjoy! P.S. This chapter is a little shorter than my other ones, but not by much :)**

"I didn't know I had a servant with so much raw potential under my very own nose."

I stiffened at the sound of the voice behind me. A million thoughts rang through my head as I heard his footsteps get closer to me, but one thought stood out from the others. Mostly because I remembered the way his face looked right before he left, like he just came up with a brilliant idea.

"_This is Chris's fault!"_

I took a deep breath and turned to see the Guildmaster standing in my field. My breathing became shallow as I tried to think of an excuse as to why there was a practice range in the middle of the woods. I couldn't think of anything to say that would make sense to him, so I stayed silent.

"What do the other servants call you again? Night Blossom?" he asked. My heart almost jumped out of my chest at the sound of my nickname.

"Or would you rather my call you by your given name?" He asked when I didn't acknowledge him the first time.

I shook my head and cleared my throat, begging my heart to slow its pace before I had a heart attack. "No, Night Blossom is fine."

He nodded as if he understood. "Night Blossom… I must say I am quite surprised that you had the boldness to continue with your… training."

I flinched at the tone in his voice. I didn't know whether it had a hard edge or a hint of interest, but something in me knew what he would say next.

"Nevertheless," he continued with a sigh. "I simply cannot allow a range, such as this, in the Guild Woods. I'm afraid I'm going to have to send for someone to take it down…"

I quickly looked up at the Guildmaster and locked eyes with him. In the hard stare he returned to my searching gaze, I saw that he meant what he said and that he wouldn't change his mind. However, I wasn't going to just stand aside and let him take away the single most precious thing I had left in this prison.

I closed my eyes and took an attack stance with my dagger. I opened my eyes and glared at him under my bangs, my heart beating fast from the adrenaline in my blood rather than the shock of having him in my range. _**My**_ range. And I was going to protect it, even if it meant my life…

The Guildmaster chuckled under his breath and looked at me as if I was still the thirteen year old child he met five years ago. "Come now, Night Blossom. What do you hope to gain from fighting me? Say you were to beat me, what would happen? You would have you're range, yes, but would you be able to live with the guilt of killing someone who was only trying to help you? And if I were to win? I would have to send you away from here. After all, what message would I be sending to the other student's if I let a person, a servant of all people, stay after coming against me so fiercely?"

I tried to hold on to the anger and protective instinct I had about the thought of this place being destroyed, but the more that time passed the more his logic subdued my anger. I sighed and put my knife away, wishing I had another range, somewhere, that I could run to to distract myself form the hurt I felt stirring up inside me again.

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked, looking up at him with emotionless eyes. "Are you going to kick me out? You know all about me, and you know what it means that I've kept with the training."

The Guild Master sighed. "I should send you away for building this range in the first place, never mind your past and your friendship with Chris… I see no doubt in my mind that sending you away would be the best course of action."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away, fighting tears the whole time. Where would they send me? What would I do? The only thing I knew _**how**_ to do was clean and fight. Would I become a bar tender at a tavern? Or a cold blooded assassin? Maybe I'd need to become both just to get by. What about Chris? Would I ever see him again? Could I handle not being able to even send him letters?

"Night Blossom," he said. I looked at him reluctantly, waiting for him to tell me that I was no longer welcome in the Guild. "Do you know why they started this Guild?"

I frowned at him, but answered as best as I could. "I don't know. Was it so that people with extraordinary powers could train?"

The Guild Master smiled. "Close, but not quite. You see, back in the Old Kingdom, there were no such things as Heroes. There was only the King and his Guard that protected the people. Most of the Guard were ordinary men, but there were some that were beyond ordinary. Some were able to carry a five ton rock on their backs for miles like they were carrying a child, others were able to summon lightning from the heavens to strike down six foes at a time, and still others could shoot a man in the head from miles away.

"When the Old Kingdom fell, the land was in disarray. There was no longer the King and his Guard to protect the people. However, the men who were able to do the extraordinary things decided to band together and create a place where they could train. A place where the people could go to ask for help on anything, whether it be getting rid of a problem animal, or to escort them somewhere. At first, they only had it open to the people that were in the Guard, but soon they realized that there were others who could do what they did. So it was open to the public to join if they wished. Later they decided that in order to join, they needed to have a basic understanding about mêlée, magic and archery. The reason why they started this Guild was to train so they could help the people of Albion. Helping the people was the sole reason for starting this Guild, that's why they call us Heroes."

"But what has that got to do with me?" I asked.

The Guild Master smiled. "You see Night Blossom, although my mind is telling me that sending you away would be wise, my instincts are telling me that you are to play a crucial part in the near future. I don't know what role you would play, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

"So," I started, trying to keep my emotions in check. However, I still felt my hopes raise with my voice. "Does this mean I can still be a servant here?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry my dear but I can't allow you to be a servant here any longer…"

I sighed and felt my shoulders slump down. I tried to look on the bright side of being an underpaid bar maid by day, and an over paid killer by night. Needless to say I couldn't think of one thing.

"…At least," he continued. "Not when you so obviously deserve to become a Hero."

I looked up at him so quickly I was surprised I didn't get whiplash. "You don't mean…?"

"Night Blossom," he said while sticking out his hand and moving towards me. "Welcome to the Guild."

I just stared at his hand in disbelief. How did this happen? _**Why**_ did this happen?

"B-but," I stuttered, my eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "I-I'm not Hero material! I can't use manna, or even imagine how to use a sword! For Avo's sake, I'm nothing but a peasant girl! What could I _**possibly**_ be able to do out there?"

The Guildmaster smiled and placed his held out hand onto my shoulder. "Come now, can you not see what others around you are seeing? It seems as though when you look at yourself, you can't see past your reflection. Or rather you refuse to look past. Do you know what I saw when you were tearing those straw dummies apart with nothing but a knife?"

I sniffed, not sure why I felt like crying. "That… I'm a servant girl trying to be something she's not?"

He shook his head and looked me dead in the eyes. "I thought I was looking at a Hero."

I looked away from him and gently shrugged his hand off of my shoulder.

"You're just saying that…" I mumbled under my breath.

"So you believe that we allow just _**anyone**_ to train here?" he asked.

I looked back at him. "I _**know**_ you do. It's just that not everyone that trains here is going to become a Hero one day, and I'm _**not**_ talking about them becoming evil. There are people here who have trained much longer then Chris and they're _**still**_ here, waking up _**every**_ morning, believing that maybe _**today**_ they'll become a full Hero. I don't want to live with a false hope that is only going to hurt me in the end, because there's not much more that my heart can take…"

I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip, fighting the tears that filled my eyes. I took a deep shaky breath, trying to calm down. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I don't know if I was apologizing for crying or for what I said. Maybe I was apologizing for not being able to accept his offer to train me, who knows?

"Night Blossom," the Guildmaster said with a soft voice. "Those people are not living on a false hope. If they were, do you honestly believe that we would keep them here? They're here longer then Chris because they learn at a slower pace. If we had them graduate today, I don't think they'd last long. Everyone that comes here _**will**_ become a Hero, but _**only**_ if they stay through to the end. We lose people because they believe what you just said: That they're living on a false hope and that it would be better for them to just quit. To be quite honest, if they had that mindset then they really weren't Hero material."

"Then I guess you were wrong about me being a Hero…"

"Night Blossom, there is a difference between believing a false hope, and being overly cautious."

I looked up at him quickly. "I am _**not**_ being overly cautious! This is who I am!"

The Guildmaster shot me an unconvinced look. "From what your Aunty has told me, she remembers you being the child that would run around to look for things to bring back to your parents. She specifically told me about a time you climbed a tree to get an old bird's nest to show your family. She said it was the tallest tree in the village…"

"It wasn't the tallest… it was the second tallest…" I looked at the ground, wishing it would swallow me up. When it didn't I sighed and decided to be honest with both myself and the Guildmaster. "Okay, so maybe I _**am**_ being overly cautious. Can you blame me after what I've been through?"

"No," he replied. He took a step back, as if he was going to leave. "However, I'm asking you to set aside your fears and really think about becoming a Hero. I'm going back to the Guild now and I want you to stay here until you reach a decision on what you're going to do. As always, I'll be in the map room when you're ready to tell me what you have decided. Just remember that whatever you choose, I will still have to tear this place down…"

He turned and left me with one of the most difficult decisions of my life… okay so looking back at it now I realize that it was very simple; I wanted to keep training, my training ground was going to be destroyed so my only real option was to become a Hero. However at that time I didn't think I could be a Hero. I know I kept saying that it was because I had no manna, but my reasoning went farther than that. I simply didn't _**want**_ to become a Hero. Partly because I didn't think I could cut it, but mostly because if I became a Hero, there was one less reason for me to avoid Chris. If I became a Hero, Chris and I would be on equal footing with each other and I didn't know what would happen if that became so…

I don't know how long I sat there, just staring at my range, but I remember sighing and shaking my head before turning to head to the Map room in the Guild. All the while, I kept telling myself that I would refuse. I had no business trying to become a Hero. As I walked out of the woods I realized how much I sounded like a broken record. I wouldn't become a Hero because I didn't have manna or because I didn't think I could cut it, and to be honest I hated myself for it. I knew I was only making excuses, and that I did want to take Hero training, but like the Guild Master had said, I was trying to protect myself.

"No," I thought while passing the archery range, picking up my pace and not looking at it. "I will _**not**_ do this. I _**can't**_ do this. I have to do this for Chris…"

I passed the dining area and ignored the Hero's that asked me to get them something. I couldn't help imagining what it would be like if I did become an apprentice and they couldn't order me around anymore… couldn't look down on me because we were on the same level… had to look at me as a human instead of something they got stuck on their shoe…

I shook my head and when I got to the map room, I looked the Guild Master right in the eye, my resolve filling my entire being.

"Guild Master," I said with intensity. "I want to become a Hero…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys! Long-time, no see! So you all probably know what happens next. This is the part where I apologize like crazy for all the times you came online to check on my story only to have your hearts broken to see nothing new (*Dogeza*) Gomennasai! I promise to do better! (.) Anyway, I believe that this is the longest chapter I have thus far, so I hope it makes up for the long wait heh heh… WELL, I better let you get started! You know the drill by now. Please enjoy!**

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"_What in the world was I thinking?"_ I thought to myself as I let another arrow fly from my bow into another moving dummy. Like usual, it landed right over the heart area and almost went right through. Thanks to training every day without worrying about chores, I had gotten a lot stronger in my upper body. I sighed and quickly looked around. I couldn't help but notice some of the other Heroes looking at me and whispering to each other. I didn't even have to hear them to know what they were saying.

"_How did she become an apprentice? She only knows how to use a bow!"_

"_Does she honestly believe she's on equal footing with us? Even if she wears the apprentice outfit, she's still just a peasant girl…"_

"_Look at her! She's just trying to show off!"_

"_I hear the reason she became an apprentice was to get closer to Chicken Chaser…"_

"_Ha! She has no chance with him, even though he's not well known yet!"_

I sighed again and started putting my bow away. I leapt over the small wooden fence that separated the people from the dummies, and went to retrieve my arrows. Most of the other Heroes thought it was strange for me to try and get the arrows back, when I could just grab more from the storage area, but these arrows where special… I made them myself, and they were the exact same one's I used when Chris was still there… it was one of my only connections to better times…

I shook my head and started pulling arrows out of the dummies and some from the wall behind them, because they had gone right through. How did I know that the arrows didn't just miss their target? The answer is simple… I _**never**_ missed. I was pulling out the last of the arrows when I felt the air shift. Instinctively, I turned and reached out my right hand to grab whatever caused the disturbance, meanwhile my left hand reached up and grabbed my bow. In one fluid motion, I brought out my bow, hooked what I now knew was an arrow onto the bow and aimed it right at the person's chest. I groaned when I saw who it was.

"What the hell Kyle?" I yelled angrily, the arrow still on my bow.

He laughed like he just thought of the best joke in the world, and not a second later I got to hear it. "Sorry! I thought there were only dummies out there!"

I pulled the string back even farther, feeling my muscles pull and stretch. I glared at him under my bangs and got a sense of pleasure at seeing him squirm under my gaze. "You're one of my _**least**_ favorite people here, I'm in a seriously bad mood and you just shot an arrow at me. Give me one good reason why I _**shouldn't**_ let go of this string!"

He put his hands up in mock surrender, but a smile was still hinted on his face. "No need for drastic measures. I honestly mistook you for a dummy, because only idiots don't know their place in society."

My rage finally boiled over and I sent the arrow flying straight at him so fast he didn't see it until it got stopped by the wooden fence in front of him. Even from where I stood, I could see that it was half way through. If I wasn't so angry, I probably would have laughed at both his face and where the arrow was. Let's just say if the fence wasn't there, he wouldn't have been able to have children. Which probably would have been a good thing, the world didn't need any more Kyle's.

"Sorry," I said with a mocking smile. "My hand slipped. Test me again and it _**won't**_ be an accident next time."

I turned to my right and jumped over the stone wall, leaving Kyle with his groupies as they ran up to see if he was okay. I started heading to the servant's chambers out of old habits I had yet to break, but caught myself and headed to my room. Or rather Chris's old room. I bumped into a couple of people who were coming down the stairs and I snapped at them, telling them to watch where they were going. When I got to my room, I flopped onto my bed and screamed into my pillow. I didn't even bother to look to see if my roommate was there, I just needed to get this anger out before I did something crazy, like go back and use Kyle as my moving target practice. When I was done screaming, I couldn't tell you how long that was, I turned over onto my back and looked at the ceiling.

"_What is going on with me?"_ I thought with a sigh. I had never had a problem with anger before. I used to keep calm in any situation and work out the problems in a civil manner, but lately every little thing had been getting on my nerves. As I thought of it, I realized that I could have been on edge because of a couple of things.

One could have been becoming an apprentice. That was a big one because it had two sides to it. The first was that the Heroes didn't accept me into their world. They only thought of me as an idiot, a fraud or a love sick teenager. Basically, they thought that I was either going to quit or die. Neither one mattered to them, as long as I was out of the picture. Even after I showed them that I was pretty good at short range combat, and an excellent archer, they still didn't accept me because I couldn't use magic. It didn't help that they were gossiping about me behind my back. Only Kyle was outspoken on his disapproval of me, and for that I respected him, but that respect was diminished when he would do stupid things to try and get me riled up enough to attack him. I never attacked him though; after all I didn't want to give him the excuse of self defense.

The second part was my Aunty. She was dead set against my becoming a Hero. Not just because she didn't like Heroes, although that did play a part, but because she had found my notes from Chris and thought that that was why I wanted to become a Hero, even though that was one of the excuses I made to not become one. Of course she found them after I told the Guild Master to make me an apprentice, so it shouldn't be that big of a surprise that she started ignoring me. However, as big as those two reasons were, I knew the real reason why I was so edgy.

Chris had gone on a pretty big quest the week before and he hadn't returned yet. I sighed and found myself thinking of the last time I spoke to him…

"_Congratulations on completing your Quest," I said while smiling up at him. We walked hand in hand through the training grounds to the woods. I'm not going to lie; this was a little awkward for me. I was used to holding his hand when no one was around, but as we walked, I could feel _**everyone**_ staring at us. I also felt a glare, which I was sure belonged to my Aunt._

"_Congratulations on completing your first day," he replied with a smile of his own. The crooked smile that made my heart skip a beat. "First day is always the hardest."_

_As we walked through the arch into the woods, I relaxed enough to giggle at his words. I was also feeling a little giddy that he was there with me, and that he _**wanted**_ to be. "Your first day was hard because you slept in!"_

"_Hey," he said while bumping me with his shoulder as we went deeper into the woods. "At least I didn't try to jump into a river."_

_I smacked his arm playfully with my free hand. "I almost fell in! I didn't jump!"_

"_Oh, yeah," he said while tapping his chin playfully. He turned to me, a teasing glint in his eyes. "You still have yet to honestly tell me thank you for that."_

_I took my hand from his and jogged ahead a little, shaking my head. "You're unbelievable! I _**did**_ say thank you!"_

"_Yeah," he replied while jogging up next to me. "I think pulling teeth would have been easier."_

_I turned and made a face at him. I heard him chuckle before he pinched my nose._

"_One of these days, your face is going to freeze like that. Then you're going to be sorry."_

_I moved his hand away, and was about to stick my tongue out at him, when my gaze caught his. We stood there for a while, just searching each other's eyes for… well I don't know what _**he**_ was looking for, but I know I was looking for a hint of interest. Even though we held hands and hugged, didn't mean that he liked me the way I liked him. Kids held hands all the time and it was platonic, nothing meant by it. I've never had another friend before him, so how did I know if friends did this all the time or not…_

_I cleared my throat and started walking again. "Thank you…"_

"_For what?" he asked, walking beside me again._

_I glanced at him and smiled a small smile. "For being a knuckle head who can't mind his own business."_

_He laughed. "Are you trying to say thank you for helping you become an apprentice?"_

_I shrugged. "Maybe… or maybe I honestly think you _**are**_ a knuckle head."_

"_Well that wouldn't be anything new."_

_I giggled and sat down when we reached our spot. "So what's new? Did you rescue any damsels and win their hearts yet?"_

_He sat down beside me before answering. "Saved a damsel? Check. Won her heart? Not so much."_

"_What do you mean?" I asked, bringing my knees up to my chest. Since I started wearing the apprentice robe I knew I didn't have to try and hide anything like I did with my other clothes because the robe covered me from head to foot when I had my hood on. However, old habits die hard, and curling into a ball while I sat had become second nature to me._

"_Well, I saved her and she was thankful, but when she heard my Hero name, she just laughed."_

_I sighed silently in relief. "Was this on the Wasp Queen quest or the farm quest?"_

"_Wasp Queen. It was embarrassing."_

"_Maybe you should take the money from those two quests and buy yourself a new name… I heard 'Arse face' is pretty cheap."_

_He shook his head and chuckled. "Believe it or not, that would be a down grade. Besides I couldn't if I wanted to. I have to upgrade my weapons if I want a chance at living through my next que-"_

_He stopped abruptly and I felt my insides knot. "What do you mean?"_

_He said nothing, just started pulling grass from where he sat. I touched his shoulder and turned him to me, searching his eyes._

"_What did you mean when you said 'if I want a chance at living through my next quest'?"_

_His eyes diverted from mine as he shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing…"_

"_So your possible death isn't a big deal?" I asked sarcastically._

"_Well everyone dies right? So it really _**isn't**_ a big deal if you think of it that way…"_

"_Chris, I'm serious! What's going on?"_

_He shrugged his shoulders, and started picking at the grass again. I groaned in frustration and stood._

"_Fine!" I snapped. "Be that way! I'll just go ask the Guild Master what's going on!" I turned and started to stomp away._

"_Night Blossom…" I heard him say with a sigh. The tone in his voice made me stop in my tracks. I turned to see him pat the place beside him, an almost pleading look reflected in his eyes. I let out a sigh of my own before going back._

"_Look," he started. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would worry."_

_I scoffed. "And I would have been less worried if you just left the conversation at that?"_

_He ran a hand into his hair. "I know, I know. Honestly I didn't mean to say that." He glanced at me and smiled impishly. "Like always, I say too much when I'm with you."_

_I felt my heart melt at his child-like smile, but I forced myself to keep my face stern. "Are you trying to change the subject?"_

_He chuckled slightly. "Not very well apparently…" I continued to stare at him until he sighed again._

"_My next Quest is to escort some traders through Dark Wood…"_

_The silence that followed was almost unbearable but I couldn't find my voice to break it. Dark Wood? As in the unholy Dark Wood? As in the place that held so many horrors waiting in its depths Dark Wood? He had to put his life in danger to escort a couple of strangers through that untold nightmare?_

_His sigh broke my train of thoughts. "I can already see you're worrying…"_

_I cleared my throat but my voice still came out kind of squeaky. "I'm not worried. Who said I was worried?"_

_He brought up his hand to my face and flicked the space between my eyebrows. "When you get worried, you're eyebrows draw together faster than two united lovers. You've always been that way."_

_I stuck my lower lip out in a pout and rubbed the spot he had flicked._

"_Night Blossom," he started while taking both my hands in his. "Don't worry about me. I'll be back in three days tops and we'll sit here and talk and talk until you feel at ease again... or until you sick of me. I promise."_

_And that's when he kissed my hands before he quickly got up to leave. Over his shoulder he called out, "Three days!" before he disappeared from sight. I sat there for almost an hour, my mouth hanging open so wide I didn't know how a bird didn't try and make a nest in it. I finally had gotten up and headed for the Guild, and then suddenly a bitter wind started to blow._

"_What's going on?" I thought to myself. I didn't remember that ever happening after Chris left…_

**Little Night Blossom, how wonderful it is to see you again…**

_I glanced around quickly, searching for the source of the voice, shivers running up and down my spine. "No," I thought. "It can't be! I haven't heard him in so long!"_

**Ah, but it is little Flower. I see you haven't forgotten me. How nice.**

_I covered my ears in hopes of drowning out his sickly smooth voice but it was no use. Like always, his voice came from within._

**Come now, don't be afraid. I only wish to remind you of your debt to me and what you must do to pay it back. Surely you haven't forgotten that.**

"_No!" I yelled. "I will _**never**_ do what you have asked! I can't!"_

**You can, and you will. But in due time my little pawn. The gears are starting to turn and once set into motion, nothing will be able to stop them. And you will play a major role in that motion Flower. If you know what's good for you, you will do exactly as I have told you to do five years ago.**

"_And if I refuse?" I shouted to the wind. Lightning struck not three feet from where I stood and the thunder clap that followed was so loud, it caused me to fall to my knees._

**Don't try my patience wench. He doesn't know the real you, and if he did, he would most certainly stay clear of you, anyone would really. Besides, if you obey me, you know what you will get in return. Alas, I must leave you for now, but know this before I depart; his sister lives. And unbeknownst to her, she has turned the first gear just by breathing. Goodbye Flower, until next time.**

"_Liar!" I yelled while standing. Darkness started surrounding me and I struggled against it while yelling until my voice was all but consumed by the dark. "You're lying! She's dead! I know she is! Chris told me himself! You're wrong! I will never listen to you, so just leave me alone! Leave me alone…! Leave me alone…"_

"_**Leave me alone!" **_I screamed as I bolted up in my bed and panted. Suddenly I was knocked upside the head with something soft. I looked, saw it was a pillow and glanced at my roommate.

"Only if you keep it down!" she hissed at me. "For the love of Avo, why are you yelling at this ungodly hour of the morning? Next time you go to bed early be quieter when you wake." She turned away from me in her bed.

"I've been asleep all this time…?" I asked in a quiet voice. I looked out the window and saw that it was indeed the earliest hours of the morning; even the birds hadn't started their morning songs yet.

"Mmm-hmm," she mumbled, and then turned her head toward me. "Mind handing me my pillow? Sorry for throwing it at you. I'm just not too keen at being woken up at this time."

I tossed the pillow back to her and waited to hear her slow even breaths before I started crying.

"_Thank Avo! It was only a dream…"_

I cried silently until I heard the first notes of the song birds, signifying dawn was an hour away, and decided to get an early start. As quietly as I could I slipped out of my room and headed down to the map room. I didn't want to take the shortcut and risk having another pillow thrown at me by another apprentice. As soon as I reached the bottom step I heard the front door creak open. Curious, I peeked around the corner then shrieked silently as I ran to embrace the returning Hero.

"Oof!" Chris said as I crashed into him. If the door wasn't behind him, I'm sure my hug would have sent us both sprawling onto the ground. As it was, we were just pressed up to the door with me clinging to him as if he would disappear if I loosened my grip even a bit.

"Well," he said with a smile in his voice. He slipped his arms around my waist, holding me even closer to him. "This is quite a home coming…"

"Shut up…" I told him around the lump in my throat. "I've been going crazy with worry! I thought you said three days Chris! It's been a week!" I find myself holding back my tears with little whimpers.

He rested his chin on the top of my head. "I'm sorry I didn't stop in to check on you, but I had a quest I needed to do right away." I feel him shake his head. "You're not going to believe what I found out…"

I loosened my grip on him and stared up into his eyes. "What did you find out?"

He moved his hands from my waist to my shoulders, looking at me square in the face. His eyes sparkled with both disbelief and pure happiness and somehow I knew what he was going to say…

"Night Blossom," he started. "I found my sister. She's alive!"

* * *

**End Chapter 7**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:**** OMG GUISE I'M SO SORRY! (T^T) the only thing I can say in defence of myself is that life got in the way and I had to go on my unofficial hiatus. But my thoughts were always with you and this story. I had so many ideas forming and the storyline kept playing in my mind like a song that just wouldn't go away. I just had to find the time to sit down and type it out. And I obviously did it because you're reading this right now. Seriously though, I missed you guys 3 well… I really hope you guys are still here and that I'm not talking to myself :X I have a feeling some of you just gave up and left this story because it was taking me too long to update… (*sweat*) For those that have waited patiently, I sincerely apologize and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for staying ****OTL **** for those who don't know that's a person on their knees. Now, please enjoy the latest installment!**

"How?" I found myself asking Chris as he continued to look at me with joy filled eyes. "I thought you said Theresa died in the bandit raid…"

I saw some of the joy fade with his smile at my reaction. "Night Blossom, I just found out my sister is alive. You know more than anyone how much she means to me… why are you acting like this? I thought you'd be happy for me…"

I shook my head and managed to force a smile. I knew I should've been happy for him, but I just couldn't shake off the chills that remained after my dream. "Of course I'm happy for you Chris, you know I am, but… what happened? How did she get away?"

Chris smiled again when he thought my reaction was from surprise rather than unease. My acting was getting better and better… "That's the amazing thing about it! You see, when the bandits attacked my village they-"

"I thought I heard someone come in," the Guild Master cut in. I turned and saw him standing at the top of the stairs near the map table. He raised an eyebrow at the close proximity of me and Chris but didn't say anything. Even so I took a step back and put a comfortable distance between Chris and myself.

"Welcome back Hero. Maze would like to see you in his quarters," Guild Master continued. After the message was delivered, he went to his usual standing spot. I glanced at Chris and smiled a small smile.

"You better get going," I said. I gently punched his arm as my smile turned into a smirk. "It's not polite to make someone wait you know."

He laughed and ruffled my hair with his hand, sending shivers down my spine. "I found that out the hard way. I'll meet you at our spot when I'm done talking to him. He probably wants the details on the quest I was just on."

I tilted my head in confusion. "Why would he need details?"

"I'll tell you later okay? I'd tell you right now but someone told me I shouldn't make people wait." He winked and dashed off before I could hit him again. I shook my head and smiled. Honestly, he was about as mature as he was when we first met.

"Night Blossom," I heard the Guild Master call. I went up the stairs and saw him looking at me, eyes filled with worry.

"Yes Guild Master?" I asked.

He looked at me for a moment and sighed before looking toward the door Chris had gone through. "Be careful…"

I felt my face start to harden as I replied to his statement. "I know what I'm doing Guild Master."

He looked back at me; his face etched with… sadness. "Do you?"

Unable to reply to his question, I simply nodded and headed out to the woods. As I was walking, I couldn't stop thinking about the dream I'd had. He said that Theresa was alive and then Chris came back happily proclaiming the same thing. I shook my head.

"_It's just a coincidence,"_ I told myself as I walked passed the Guildwood arch. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder to Maze's tower, curiosity burning in my chest. What could they be talking about up there…?

I shook my head and continued walking to the usual spot. When I got there I saw that the grass had started to grow straight up again instead of being pressed flat against the ground. The sight made me sad; it'd been too long since Chris and I had last seen each other here. I sat down and as I sighed, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. When I was growing up my mother had always told me not to sigh, saying that each time I did a little bit of my happiness would disappear.

"Really," I mumbled. "I'm surprised I'm not depressed."

I layed down on the grass, put my hands under my head, and looked up at the sky, frowning in confusion. What should I do now? I knew it was a moot question though. The _**real**_ question was "What _**would**_ I do?" Like always, staying away from Chris was what I _**should**_ do, but I couldn't do that. I loved being with him too much. Just being around him made me feel happy, elated, loved… He made me feel alive. I thought I'd never have that again after I came to the Guild, after what had happened. I was prepared to not feel anymore. I wasn't going to let myself get hurt again, but he tore down my walls and blew those thoughts out of the water. He was so a part of me now I couldn't get rid of him even if I wanted to.

Chris's face suddenly popped up in front of me and I screamed while bolting upright. Chris laughed at me as he sat next to me.

"Sorry Flower, you just make it too easy."

I glared at him for half a second then frowned in confusion. "That was fast. I thought you had to give him the details…"

Chris shrugged. "Well he basically knew what I found out, though I don't know how."

"That's not creepy at all…"

He shrugged again. "I don't know how he gets his information but it saved time anyway. Let's just say I was in a hurry to get to you."

I smiled and bumped him with my shoulder. "You should have been. Now you have to talk to me for as long as it takes to make up for all the worry you put me through the past week! Even if it takes all day!"

He laughed and I savored the sound of it. Geez, how could I have missed him so much I was in pain, but didn't know it until he was next to me? "All day? Don't you have to train?"

I shrugged playfully. "I guess you'll have to start talking then. What happened after you left?"

He smirked at my nonchalance and looked off into the woods. "So after I had left you here, I went straight to Dark Wood. I really didn't want you to worry too long, so I basically ran the whole way there. By the time I got there though, it was already night. It may have been stupid but I decided to start the quest without resting first. So I walked into the Dark Wood entrance and met the traders. They were as eager to get through the woods as I was so we started right away despite the late hour.

"When we were walking we heard a howling sound and the traders started getting scared. As we walked further down we ran into another trader who had been attacked by something and asked if he could come with us-"

"Chris," I said while cutting him off. Chills ran up and down my spine as my brain slowly pieced his words together. "Please, _**please**_ don't tell me you let him follow you!"

Chris looked at me dead in the eyes. I don't remember the last time he looked so serious. "Night Blossom, he needed my help. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You idiot! Didn't you know that he was probably bitten by a balverine! Of course you did! You've read all the 'Creatures of Albion' books while you were here! You know that they like swampy areas and you know that when someone is bitten they could turn at any second! I can't believe you! You-"

Running out of words, I started hitting his arm as hard as I could, but I didn't feel any pleasure at his flinches. I couldn't seem to stop though. I just kept hitting him and hitting him with tears streaming down my face.

"You idiot! You could have died! You could have died and I wouldn't have known!"

He grabbed my hands and stopped me before I hurt myself. I looked at my legs and watched as my tears fell and disappeared into my pant leg.

"I'm sorry," I heard him say. I felt myself tremble and his hands tightened around mine before he continued. "I knew this would be hard for you to hear… because of the way your family died… but I didn't want to hide anything from you."

I sniffed and nodded at his statement, embarrassed at the way I reacted. Just hearing that he had been in the presence of basically a balverine made my already fragile emotions snap. Is this what my Aunty called a trigger? Back when she was still talking to me, she had told me that after she left our village there were certain sights or smells that would bring memories of home flooding back and cause her to cry. It brought back the happiness of being around our people and made her feel even lonelier then she already felt. Is that what happened to me? Did imagining losing Chris to a balverine bring me back to…?

Chris let go of my hands when he felt me stop shaking. I quickly wiped my eyes and looked back at him.

"I'm sorry I hit you…"

He shot me one of his half smiles. "Well I'd be lying if I said I was expecting it… and if I said it didn't hurt. When'd you get so strong anyway?"

I let out a short laugh. "I've always been strong; I've just never had a reason to hit you that hard before."

He snorted. "Right. You say that like you never hit me. Even after being gone a week, you punched me not even ten minutes from when I walked through the doors!"

My first instinct was to hit his arm but I opted to simply stick out my tongue. I didn't want to prove him right… even if he actually _**was**_ right… this time. "At least I gave you a hug before I hit you!"

He looked up at the sky and looked like he was thinking. He glanced back at me and smiled. "Yeah I guess that's true. I kind of expected you to greet me with a fist to the face to be honest. So do you want to hear the rest or not?"

I nod and motion him to keep going.

"Alright so… I let the other trader follow us and our journey began. When we entered the swamp area, we heard howling again but this time it sounded closer; a lot closer. We reached some stone stairs, which was the weirdest thing. I mean, who puts stairs in a place like that? Anyway, I looked ahead and saw a dark shadow, and it looked like it was bending over something. I told the traders to wait and went to check it out. It turned out it was a balverine eating a dead bandit.

I clenched my hands and bit my lip to keep myself from snapping again. Chris in the presence of a _**real**_ balverine? The thought sent chills up my spine but I managed to keep silent as Chris continued, watching me from the corner of his eye.

"I fought it after it tried to jump at me, and managed to kill it. That wasn't easy! It would jump up into the trees and attack me from above! So after I killed it, I led the traders further into the woods. There was a place with spores that exploded if you got too close so I used my bow to hit them and make them explode. From then on there wasn't too much trouble; just bandits and the odd batch hobbits once in a while. We finally reached the camp that marked the halfway point of our journey and I've never been happier to see civilization in my life; even if it was a small camp out in the middle of nowhere. I was so tired and was running on pure adrenalin that a nap sounded too good to pass up!

"So we rested there for about an hour or so and continued. As we were heading to the next area, I looked to my left and saw another path. I asked the traders where it led and they said it led to the Chapel of Skorm. Needless to say we stayed clear of that path. We reached the next area and I killed some bandits that tried to ambush us. We headed down to the ruins of some kind of… well honestly I don't know what it could have been, but as we were walking passed it, the trader I decided to bring along with us screamed. We turned to him and he… I don't know how to explain it. It was like he started to morph into a wolf. He said he was starting to turn and told us to run, but it was too late… He turned and I… I killed him…"

I reached out to Chris and placed my hand on his shoulder. I knew he was probably beating himself up about it. It was so like Chris to worry about what he _**could**_ have done. "You tried Chris. That's more than what anyone else would have done. Heck it's more than what _**I**_ would have done. I would have left him from the start."

"But if we had just left the camp sooner… maybe someone in Barrow Fields could have…"

I shook my head gently. "Even then there's no guarantee that you would have found someone who knew a cure. What if he transformed in the middle of those poor traders and their wives when you reached Barrow Fields?"

Chris nodded and cleared his throat before continuing. "So… after I killed him in his balverine form, we made our way to the Weir of Darkwood. It seemed to be really quiet at first and I thought that we could just walk through, then I actually listened and there wasn't even one bird singing. I told the Traders to hang back and sure enough right at the exit there was an earth troll. He was pretty hard to kill too, but I managed. I got the traders, we went through to Barrow Fields and I was done.

"I was just about to go back to the Guild when I looked over at entrance of Oakvale and… I just started walking toward it and next thing I knew I was walking down the familiar path to the centre of town. In the middle of all that nostalgia, I heard someone whistle and I turned and saw a pretty girl waving at me…"

I lifted an eyebrow at him when he called her pretty. He was still looking at me from the corner of his eye and he smirked before continuing.

"I stopped walking and she walked up to me and started talking like we were old friends. I found out that she was one of the people that I used to hang around with as a kid. She was only 8 when the raid happened. As she was telling me how her and her family had moved to Bowerstone before the raid, I had a flash back and I saw her as her 8 year old self and I was 13 again and the town was in flames… she snapped me out of it and said she had to get going. She left and then I looked over to where the tavern was and saw Maze. He told me he had more news on my sister-"

"Wait, _**more**_ news on your sister?" I interrupted.

Chris scratched his head uncomfortably. "Yeah… um… Maze had told me that he thought that my sister might have survived the raid too, but he needed to look into it more…"

"And when did this happen?"

"… After the Wasp quest…"

I clenched my hands into tight fists and fought the urge to punch him in the arm again. "Why didn't you tell me before you went to Dark Wood?"

He started pulling grass out from around where he was sitting. "I don't know, I just… I didn't want to get my hopes up, you know? I mean, if I believed that she was still alive and that I could find her, only to find out that she really did die… it'd be like losing her all over again…"

My fists started to relax as I heard him. I understood perfectly what he had gone through. I sighed and looked up at the sky. "I just wish you had told me…" Maybe then I wouldn't have been so surprised by Chris confirming that man's words…

He sighed. "I should have told you… I wanted to tell you… but I felt like if I said it out loud I'd be… jinxing it? But anyway, Maze told me that there was this blind Seeress in Twinblade's bandit camp and that she might be able to help me find my sister. I accepted the mission and went straight to the camp. It wasn't easy though. I had to sneak past the guards to get past the first gate, and then I had to collect every piece of bandit gear and put it on in order to get past the second gate into the actual camp. Then I had to play a game to get a pass to get into the Elite camp. You can imagine my despair when I found out I'd have to create a distraction in order to get past yet _**another**_ gate to get into Twinblade's camp where the Seeress was. As I was looking for a way to distract the other bandits I heard some women crying. I followed the sound and saw two women locked in a cage-"

I snorted out a laugh. "I bet you enjoyed that."

He smirked at me. "No comment. So I talked to the women and they asked me for my help. I said I would help them and they told me that the only one who had the key to the cage was the bandit guarding them. I killed the guard and freed them. As they were escaping the camp, a bandit standing guard over Twinblade's camp gate saw them and sent the other bandits to catch them again. This turned out to be just the distraction I needed and I slipped into Twinblade's camp area with no problem.

"When I got there Twinblade was waiting for me. He said that 'she' told him a guild puppet would come. He told me to draw my sword and I wound up fighting him. After I wounded him enough for him to admit defeat, he told me to kill him quickly. Before I had time to think I heard a familiar voice calling to me. I turned and saw it was my sister! _**She**_ was the blind Seeress! She told me about what happened to her, about how the leader of the bandits that raided our home had cut out her eyes when she wouldn't tell him where I was. He left her to die in the woods and Twinblade had found her and took her in, sensing her strength and powers. She'd been living with them ever since.

"After she told me all of this, she turned Twinblade and told him she was leaving the camp. Then she turned to me and said she had a gift for all of the birthdays she missed; a power that runs in our family. Then she pointed her hands to me and a green light emanated from them and traveled to me. Next thing I remember I was on the ground and I felt… different. Theresa also told me of a choice I'd have to make one day but left after saying that. All I had left to deal with was Twinblade. I decided to let him live and I made my way here as fast as I could, but by the time I got out of the camp to a Cullis gate it was already night. I was exhausted so I went to Bowerstone and slept at the Inn before walking to the Guild and… well you know the rest from there."

My mouth was hanging open so wide; I kind of expected my jaw to lock. I managed to close my mouth and shook my head in disbelief. "Wow. It's amazing your sister managed to survive!"

Chris smiled. "She's a fighter, that's for sure."

"So what happened after you told Maze?"

"He said he heard I found my sister and then he asked me for a favor."

I looked at him in confusion. "A favor? What kind of favor?"

"He asked me to look for this archeologist friend of his that has gone into hiding in Witchwood."

I looked at my lap, unable to bring myself to look at him. Witchwood is a very swampy area and always had problems with balverines. However that's not what put me on edge, because he had said he killed a balverine in Darkwood so I knew he could take care of himself. What made me edgy was that he'd be so close to where my village was, especially if he went to Knothole Glade…

"Well," Chris said while standing and stretching. "I better get going."

I stood up too and we walked slowly to the exit. After a few steps I cleared my throat and spoke. "So when will I see you again?"

He shot me another one of his half smiles. "I want to say I'll see you in two days but the last time I gave you a date I didn't keep my promise."

I laughed humorlessly. "I honestly don't know what's worse; staying here and having no idea on when I'll see you, or sitting here with the date come and gone and wondering what happened to you."

He thought for a moment then snapped his fingers like he got an idea. "How about this; I'll tell you I'll see you within the week. That way I won't break any promises and it'll give you an idea on when you'll see me."

I smiled back at him. "It's better than nothing, I guess"

He ruffled my hair and his touch sends shivers running up and down my spine. We kept walking until we got to the Guildwood's exit where we stood awkwardly, waiting for the other to say something. I kept my eyes on the ground as I broke the silence.

"Do you have to leave so soon…?"

I saw his feet step closer to me and his arms wrapped around me. I rested my head on his chest as he rested his chin on my head. I listen to his heartbeat for a while before continuing my sentence.

"You said that you'd stay with me until I got sick of you… I'm not sick of you yet."

I felt his chest rumble with his quiet laughter. "Well that's good to hear, but the answer is yes, I have to go. I'm sorry for not keeping my other promise, Flower."

I wrapped my arms around him and held him closer to me. "Can we stay like this for a while longer then?"

I felt him nod and we stood like that for what felt like an hour but at the same time it felt like ten seconds. I finally backed away and smiled up at him teasingly.

"Alright, I'm sick of you now. You can leave."

He laughed and ruffled my hair again. "I'll see you soon flower. Don't worry too much while I'm gone okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "You say that like it's possible."

He shrugged. "It's not my fault you're a worrywart."

I went to hit him but he dodged my attack and jogged away, waving over his shoulder. I waved back to him and headed to the archery range. Alone with my thoughts, I started thinking about my dream again and what it could mean. It's obviously not a good sign but I didn't know what I could do to change it. Theresa was alive, just like he said and I had no intention of changing that. The only thing I could do for was to wait and see what happened. I reached back for an arrow when I heard something fall to the ground. I looked and saw the necklace my mother gave me on the ground at my feet. I quickly stooped down and picked it up, brushing it off with my fingers.

"That's weird," I mumbled while putting it back on. "I could have sworn I fastened it right…"

Without giving it a second thought, I continued to shoot arrows, not realising it was a sign of things to come…


End file.
